Jordan's 20th House of Representatives is preparing to elect its Permanent Bureau on Monday, marking the opening of its third ordinary session.
The bureau consists of five members and will pave the way for the completion of the Executive Bureau, which includes the members of the Permanent Bureau and the heads of parliamentary blocs or their representatives, in accordance with the House's internal regulations.
اضافة اعلان
The Permanent and Executive Bureaus differ in their composition and responsibilities.
The Permanent Bureau oversees the management of the House, the organization of its sessions, and its administrative affairs, while the Executive Bureau is responsible for coordinating work among parliamentary blocs and committees, as well as overseeing the House's financial, oversight, and organizational affairs.
The House's internal regulations govern the formation and powers of both bureaus. Chapters Two and Three outline the composition, functions, and election procedures of the Permanent Bureau, while Chapter Four addresses the formation and responsibilities of the Executive Bureau.
The Permanent Bureau
The Permanent Bureau of the House of Representatives consists of five members: the Speaker, the First and Second Deputy Speakers, and two Assistant Speakers. They are elected at the beginning of each ordinary session in accordance with the Constitution and the House's internal regulations.
Article 69 of the Jordanian Constitution stipulates that the House of Representatives shall elect a Speaker at the beginning of each ordinary session for a one-year term, with the possibility of re-election.
Elections for the Permanent Bureau are conducted through secret ballots.
The Speaker is elected first, followed by separate elections for the First and Second Deputy Speakers.
The two Assistant Speakers are elected through a single ballot list, with the candidates receiving the highest relative majority securing the positions.
The internal regulations require that at least one woman be represented on the Permanent Bureau. If no woman is elected as Speaker or to either of the two Deputy Speaker positions, candidacy for one of the Assistant Speaker positions is restricted to female members of parliament.
Powers of the Permanent Bureau
The Permanent Bureau is responsible for reviewing objections related to session minutes, summaries, and voting results, investigating them, and taking appropriate decisions.
It also supervises the implementation of the House's annual budget, approves the organizational structure of the General Secretariat, determines its staffing requirements, and may add any necessary items to the House's agenda.
Its responsibilities also include forming delegations representing the House and selecting their heads, providing the Executive Bureau with the names of such delegations, and coordinating field visits by parliamentary blocs and committees upon their requests.
The Speaker represents the House of Representatives and speaks on its behalf, prepares the agenda for parliamentary sessions, presides over meetings, manages discussions, announces decisions, and follows up on their implementation.
The First Deputy Speaker assumes the Speaker's duties in the event of the Speaker's absence or inability to perform his responsibilities. The Second Deputy Speaker assumes these duties if both the Speaker and the First Deputy Speaker are absent or unable to carry them out.
The two Assistant Speakers, under the Speaker's supervision, oversee the preparation of session minutes and summaries, monitor voting results, register the names of MPs requesting to speak according to the order of their requests, and assist in maintaining order during sessions.
The Executive Bureau
The Executive Bureau of the House of Representatives consists of the members of the Permanent Bureau and the heads of parliamentary blocs or their representatives, in accordance with Article 18 of the House's internal regulations.
Unlike the Permanent Bureau, whose five members are elected under the parliamentary dome, the Executive Bureau is not elected through a separate election. Instead, it comprises the elected members of the Permanent Bureau and representatives of parliamentary blocs.
At its first meeting, the Executive Bureau elects a rapporteur from among its members. It meets at least once a month, and whenever necessary, at the invitation of the Speaker and with a majority of its members present.
If the Speaker is absent from an Executive Bureau meeting, the First and Second Deputy Speakers assume the chairing responsibilities in that order.
A member of the government may not simultaneously hold ministerial office and membership in the Executive Bureau. The bureau's term continues until the opening of the following ordinary session.
If a parliamentary bloc representative's position on the Executive Bureau becomes vacant, the bloc selects a replacement from among its members.
Powers of the Executive Bureau
Under Article 19 of the internal regulations, the Executive Bureau is responsible for preparing the House's annual budget, monitoring financial expenditure, reviewing proposals concerning the organization of the House's work, and submitting recommendations on them.
It also coordinates the work of permanent committees and other committees established by the House, follows up on their activities, and oversees parliamentary memoranda and questions.
The Executive Bureau is also responsible for receiving complaints and petitions submitted by citizens concerning their affairs and taking appropriate action, including referring them to the relevant committees.
Its powers further include forming permanent committees, parliamentary friendship committees, and parliamentary friendship associations based on the proportional representation of parliamentary blocs, in addition to examining urgent matters and developments.
Article 54 of the internal regulations stipulates that the formation of permanent committees should be agreed upon in accordance with decisions made by the Executive Bureau and based on the proportional representation of parliamentary blocs.
If no agreement is reached within 14 days of the beginning of the ordinary session, committee members are elected through secret ballots if the number of candidates exceeds the designated number of seats on each committee.
Differences in Financial and Organizational Responsibilities
The distinction between the two bureaus is particularly evident in their financial responsibilities.
The Executive Bureau prepares the House's annual budget and monitors expenditure, while the Permanent Bureau supervises the implementation of the budget.
In organizational matters, the Permanent Bureau manages parliamentary sessions, follows up on voting results, and oversees the affairs of the General Secretariat.
The Executive Bureau, meanwhile, coordinates work among parliamentary blocs and committees and follows up on parliamentary questions, memoranda, and complaints.
The Executive Bureau serves as an organizational framework that allows parliamentary bloc leaders or their representatives to participate in discussions concerning the House's affairs and coordinate its work alongside the members of the Permanent Bureau.
Parliamentary Bloc Agreements for the Third Session
The formation of the two bureaus during the third ordinary session follows an agreement reached on October 29, 2026, among the Mithaq, Mubadara, Azm, Centrist Parties, and Reform parliamentary blocs regarding the distribution of positions within the Permanent Bureau.
Under the agreement, the Speakership of the House of Representatives was allocated to the Mithaq Bloc, the First Deputy Speakership to the Mubadara Bloc, the Second Deputy Speakership to the Azm Bloc, and the two Assistant Speaker positions to the Centrist Parties and Reform blocs.
The four blocs stressed that the agreement was political and parliamentary in nature, while the formal election of the Permanent Bureau members would take place under the parliamentary dome in accordance with the Constitution and the House's internal regulations.
Following the election of the Permanent Bureau, the formation of the Executive Bureau will be completed with the participation of parliamentary bloc leaders or their representatives.
The bureau will then begin carrying out its responsibilities related to organizing parliamentary work and coordinating the activities of committees and blocs during the new session.
The House of Representatives had previously elected MP Mazen Al-Qadi as Speaker by acclamation at the beginning of its second ordinary session on October 26, 2025, before proceeding with the formation of the Executive Bureau and completing the remaining organizational requirements for that session.
