Politics of Jordan - Legislative Branch

Legislative Branch

Legislative power rests in the bicameral National Assembly. The National Assembly (Majlis al-Umma) has two chambers. The Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab) has 120 members, elected for a four year terms in single-seat constituencies with 12 seats reserved for women by a special electoral college. In addition 9 seats are reserved for Christians and 3 for Chechens/Circassians. While the Chamber of Deputies is elected by the people, its main legislative abilities are limited to approving, rejecting, or amending legislation with little power to initiate laws. The Assembly of Senators (Majlis al-Aayan) has 60 members appointed by the King for a 4-year term. The Assembly of Senators is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies and can be removed by a "vote of no confidence".

Blocs in the Jordanian parliament change with each parliamentary election and usually take the form of an extreme left bloc, a liberal bloc, a moderate bloc, a conservative bloc, and an extreme right bloc (the Islamic Action Front).

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