(MENAFN- Jordan Times) The Lower House speaker's first deputy, Atef Tarawneh, had to adjourn Sunday's session after a member of the chamber physically assaulted one of his colleagues.
Before the session started, Deputy Yihya Saud (Amman, 2nd District) began insulting Irbid 2nd District MP Jamil Nimri over remarks he had made to media outlets during a pro-reform demonstration in his hometown on Friday.
"Who are you to talk on behalf of the House? Resign now and do not cause any chaos," Saud shouted at Nimri.
During Friday's demonstration, Nimri said he and 20 other deputies would resign if the House endorsed the draft elections law as amended by its Legal Committee, because it remained too close to the controversial one-person, one-vote system.
Nimri did not shout back, but rather kept telling his colleague to be "polite" and respect the House.
Saud attempted to attack Nimri physically but was held back by other MPs. He then threw his shoes at the Irbid deputy but missed.
The session began after Saud's colleagues compelled him to go back to his seat.
Later in the session, however, Nimri took the podium after Saud demanded that he apologise for the "insulting remarks he made against the House and its members".
"Instead of criticising me objectively or saying good morning, my colleague [Saud] started insulting me badly this morning but I calmed myself down," Nimri began.
Saud, who was sitting next to Nimri, interrupted him, saying: "You are a liar and a shoe," and attacked the Irbid deputy again.
Deputies intervened to restrain Saud, but he pushed past them and hit Nimri on the head.
"You should not act like that when under the Dome," Tarawneh told Saud before adjourning the session.
Following the session, 30 deputies submitted a memorandum to Lower House Speaker Abdul Karim Dughmi requesting that Saud be banned from attending sessions.
Saud has gotten into arguments with his colleagues under the Dome on several previous occasions, in many cases escalating into insults and attempted physical attacks.
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