(MENAFN- Jordan Times) His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday reiterated his commitment to seeing parliamentary elections come through before the end of this year, urging the Senate to do its utmost to accelerate the enactment of legislation pertaining to political reform, a Royal Court statement said.
During a meeting with Senate President Taher Masri and members of the Senate permanent office and committees, the King stressed the need for "transparency and courage" in confronting outstanding challenges.
"I do not have any worries dealing with all challenges," the King said, calling for coordination and cooperation among all parties involved to arrive at parliamentary elections which yield a Parliament that is credible and truly representative of the people.
Citizens should feel changes in political life in Jordan this year, or else Jordan would have failed to seize the opportunity to capitalise on the Arab Spring and the political reform achieved so far, King Abdullah told the senators, noting that securing people's confidence in this drive is key to success.
"We meet today to make sure that we are reading on the same page. We must work swiftly and seriously, not only on political reform, but also to confront economic challenges and improve citizens' living conditions" the King told the senators, noting that economic challenges are serious and "citizens think" how they can make ends meet and about finding jobs".
During the meeting, Masri said the Upper House agrees with His Majesty that the elections should be conducted this year after finalising the relevant legislation.
He also pointed out that the Senate is working to finalise these pieces of legislation swiftly and at the same time, ensuring in-depth studies and that no rash decisions are made.
Regarding accomplishments, he said the Senate Legal Committee yesterday endorsed the Political Parties Law, adding that the Senate is now waiting to deliberate the Elections Law after it is referred by the Lower House, where it is being debated by the Legal Committee.
In their remarks at the meeting, senators contributed their perspectives on how to deal with the challenges at hand.
They emphasised that political reform should go hand in hand with economic and social reform, noting that the education and the judiciary files are two main targeted field of reform.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.