The anticipated third regular session of Jordan's twentieth National Assembly will not start from scratch, but neither can it treat what the previous two sessions achieved as a finished job.
اضافة اعلان
The upcoming session will face fresh legislative and oversight priorities alongside important internal business, most notably the election of the permanent bureau and standing committees. It arrives as parliament moves into a period more directly shaped by the approach of national elections.
The session is likely to convene in the final third of October if it is postponed from its constitutionally mandated start date at the beginning of that month. The constitution permits a postponement of up to two months.
The significance of this third session lies not only in the number of pending laws, including the social security legislation, but also in its role as a transitional phase, carrying parliamentary work from a foundational stage toward a more mature one as the political and electoral calendar draws closer.
During the previous session, the government advanced several modernization initiatives while parliament enacted legislation and exercised its oversight powers, with varying degrees of agreement between the two sides. Both now face a task no less important than those achievements: communicating clearly what has been accomplished, what remains to be done, and what requires further time or amendment.
Citizens do not necessarily follow the legislative and procedural details unfolding within state institutions. Translating achievements into clear, accessible information therefore becomes an integral part of political action, not merely a media exercise.
The government will have an opportunity in the coming session to strengthen its presence by explaining policies, programmes, and projects, particularly those with a direct effect on people's lives. The goal is not more public appearances but clearer information: the current status of a given project, its next stages, and its expected impact. That kind of communication helps build a more realistic picture of overall performance and enables citizens to distinguish between what has been delivered, what is under way, and what still needs to be addressed.
The House of Representatives faces a parallel responsibility to give a clearer account of its legislative and oversight work. A parliamentary question or a law should not end when the session closes. Following up on results is essential, particularly when oversight leads to procedural amendments, the correction of shortcomings, or the reconsideration of decisions. The third session can be the right moment to develop oversight tools that go beyond recording positions to actively monitoring outcomes and measuring impact.
The first political test will come at the session's outset: the election of the Standing Bureau, comprising the Speaker, two deputies, and their assistants, followed by the formation of standing committees. These elections are more than a matter of filling positions. They will reflect the nature of internal understandings within the council, the weight of blocs and parties in parliamentary decision-making, and their capacity to build political and programmatic agreements.
The Standing Bureau elections should not, however, become the dominant preoccupation of the entire session. The true value of any bureau will be demonstrated by its ability to manage a more effective council, improve committee performance, set priorities for legislative and oversight work, and strengthen communication between parliament and other state institutions.
Committee formation will be equally consequential given the volume of files waiting. Parliamentary committees are the forum where draft laws are supposed to mature and where technical and political discussions deepen before legislation reaches the plenary. As the election period approaches, committees, blocs, and parties will face a different question: will party participation in parliament shift toward more clearly defined programmatic work, or will it remain largely governed by calculations about positions and internal agreements? This question will grow more pressing as the political modernisation process continues and discussions about the electoral law and the next parliamentary elections intensify.
The third session also requires a clear agenda rather than an unordered accumulation of files. Legislation and oversight matters will inevitably reach the council, but the priority must be to sequence them according to the needs of the state and society and to connect legislation to public policy rather than treating it as an isolated process.
The economy, employment, investment, public administration, services, and the completion of modernisation initiatives will all remain on the agenda. Parliament's success, however, will not be measured by the number of laws passed, but by the quality of its legislation, its ability to address real problems, and its follow-up on implementation.
This points to the need for greater institutional coordination between the government and parliament, without diminishing the oversight role of members. Cooperation between the two branches does not negate oversight, and serious oversight does not require turning the relationship into one of permanent conflict. A strong parliament is one that has sufficient information to hold the government to account. A government that provides information, figures, and plans in turn gives parliament a better opportunity to fulfil its constitutional role.
In sum, the third regular session will be the most consequential milestone in the history of the twentieth parliament, not only because it includes new laws and issues, but because it arrives at a political juncture demanding greater organisation, clarity, and prioritisation as the electoral phase gradually asserts itself.
The real challenge facing the council will not be the number of issues before it, but how effectively it manages them, its ability to translate parliamentary debate into tangible results, and the willingness of blocs and parties to be more transparent about their positions and programmes. The third session needs clear priorities and measurable performance, not grand pronouncements.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Jihad Al-Mansi for Al Ghad. It was translated into English with AI assistance and edited by Jordan News.
