The Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs, Haditha Al-Khreisha, stated that every Jordanian citizen has the right to affiliate with political parties, emphasizing that the future lies in political engagement. Al-Khreisha affirmed this during a dialogue session organized by University of Petra today at the Faculty of Law, moderated by its dean, Dr. Ali Al-Dabbas.
He emphasized the importance of organized political activity and involvement in party life, stressing the significance of party participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.
During the dialogue session, Al-Khreisha, in the presence of the University President, Prof. Rami Abdel-Rahem, faculty deans, and students, discussed the political reform system mandated by King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah. He highlighted how it strengthened political and party life through legislation that allowed youth and women to secure a place in the next parliament. Furthermore, he noted the allocation of 20% of the General Assembly seats for both youth and women.
Al-Khreisha pointed out that the upcoming stage of party work in Jordan includes allocating 41 seats in the next parliament to parties, increasing this share to 50% in the subsequent election, and reaching 65% for party list candidates in the election after that.
Addressing questions about the stability of political legislation, Al-Khreisha stated that the constitution protects the laws of elections and parties. Any amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in the House of Representatives, providing a genuine guarantee against future interference.
Al-Khreisha emphasized the importance of achieving the goals of political reform, considering it a royal vision that the government is committed to implementing. He highlighted the ministry's role in raising awareness among citizens about the importance of political participation and promoting awareness of the outputs of the political reform system, encouraging citizens to engage and affiliate with parties.
In the discussion with students, Al-Khreisha emphasized that political and parliamentary work is not new to Jordanian society, dating back to the 1920s. He stressed the importance of the role of youth and women in public life and political participation, in accordance with election and party laws.
The minister called for a change in the electoral behavior of citizens to elect candidates based on party programs rather than personal interests.
In response to students' questions about the formation of parliamentary governments, the minister explained that the Party Law explicitly mentions the right of a party to participate in governments. He referred to the current Party Law, defining a party as a national political organization composed of Jordanians united by citizenship values, common goals, programs, visions, and ideas. The party aims to participate in political life and public work peacefully and democratically, including participating in elections and forming or participating in governments, as per Article 35 of the Constitution.
At the end of the meeting, there was an extensive dialogue between the minister and the student audience. The University President presented the university's shield to the minister, with the presence of the Ministry's Secretary-General, Dr. Ali Al-Khawaldeh, and the deans of the Faculty of Law, Faculty of Mass Communication, and Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, as well as the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Eyad Mallah.
