Lower House Approves Amendment to Electoral Law

Amman: The Lower House of Parliament approved, by a majority, a draft law amending the Election Law for the House of Representatives for the year 2024, which includes modifying Article 49 of the law. This decision was reached during a session held by the Lower House on Wednesday, chaired by Speaker Ahmed Safadi, and attended by Prime Minister Bishr Khasawneh and members of the government team. After the amendment, the second paragraph (a) of Article 49 of the Election Law reads as follows: "Each list exceeding the electoral threshold will secure seats in proportion to its vote share out of the total votes for lists surpassing the electoral threshold in the respective local electoral district. If three lists are not reached in districts with three or more competitive seats, or two lists in districts with two competing seats, the Commission decreases the threshold by one percent, respectively, until the winning party lists are divided into three in districts with three competitive seats at a minimum, and two seats in districts with two competitive seats." The threshold for local lists stands at 7 percent, while for general (national) lists, it is 2.5 percent. Safadi emphasized that the proposed amendment to the electoral law "does not target the Islamic Action Front or any other party." This statement was made in response to MP Saleh Armouti, who referenced media analyses suggesting the "targeting" of Islamists through amendments to the electoral law, urging the government to address these reports and clarify the rationale to the public. The rationale behind the amendment aims to bolster political life and reform by solidifying the principle of political pluralism and ensuring the representation of a broad spectrum of political forces in the Lower House of Parliament. Source: Jordan News Agency