AMMAN —
The
Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday passed a new political parties bill, which reaffirms the right of Jordanians to establish and join parties and prohibits
targeting people for their partisan and political affiliations and activism,
Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
اضافة اعلان
According to the
Constitution, the bill needs to be endorsed by the Senate and signed into law
by the King before it takes full force.
The draft
Political Parties Law of 2022 requires existing parties to reconcile their
legal statuses in line with the new requirements within 18 months after the law
comes into full force by holding a general assembly that meets the conditions
of the founding conference as set forth in Article 10 of the law. Otherwise,
the party will be dissolved.
With regard to the
penal system, the new legislation authorizes the Board of Commissioners of the
Independent Election Commission to file a request with the Court of First
Instance to “suspend the party” if it does not correct its status after being
notified thereof, and the 60-day period for correction has elapsed. In all
cases, the bill stipulates that the party may not be dissolved except in
accordance with its statute or under a final court decision.
According to the
draft, the Court of First Instance has the jurisdiction to consider any party’s
dissolution lawsuit filed by the Commission’s Board of Commissioners in cases
where it is proven, under a criminal case, that the party is organizationally
linked to an external entity, or has accepted funding in violation of the law,
or in the event that the party fails to correct its situation as required by
law.
The commission
may also request the dissolution of a party if it is proven that it has
violated any of Paragraphs (2) and (3) of Article (16) of the Constitution, regarding
the right to form associations, trade unions and political parties.
Any party shall
be dissolved by a court order if it is convicted of having incited
demonstrations of an armed nature, forming organizations or groups aimed at
undermining the regime or violating the constitution, and contributing directly
or indirectly to supporting or promoting takfiri or terrorist organizations and
groups.
According to the
draft, anyone who directly or indirectly promotes an outlawed party shall be
punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than one year and no more than
five years, and a fine of no less than JD1,000 and not more than JD5,000.
Article 4 of the
bill affirms the right to establish and join parties, and stipulates that no
Jordanian, including university students, be targeted, directly or indirectly,
or that their constitutional or legal rights be undermined, or be held
accountable because of their party and political affiliation and activism.
According to the
draft legislation, anyone who believes they have suffered moral or material
harm as a result of party affiliation or political activism has the right to
resort to a court and claim compensation for the damage incurred.
Under the bill, a
bylaw will be issued setting the conditions for the parties’ access to
financial support provided by the state, its amount, aspects and procedures for
disbursement. The government has earmarked funds for political parties support
in the 2022 general budget.
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