BADRAN GOVERNMENT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE

UNCLAS AMMAN 005848 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL JO SUBJECT: BADRAN GOVERNMENT WINS VOTE OF CONFIDENCE REF: A. AMMAN 5624 ¶B. AMMAN 5626 ¶1. (C) A week of heated debate in the lower house of Parliament in response to PM Badran's opening policy statement resulted in a vote of confidence for the Badran government on July 21. With 66 votes in favor, 39 against, and 6 absentions, the debate will now turn to more than 30 agenda items slated for discussion during the remaining week of the extraordinary session of parliament. ¶2. (C) Members of Parliament took turns addressing Badran's policy statement of July 14, which highlighted nearly a dozen major priorities for his government, some more concrete than others. Chief among them is improving citizens' living standards and fighting poverty and unemployment. He also said his government must "pay full attention" to education and training systems to ensure graduates meet the demands of the job market. A third priority is to develop and strengthen the governorates and districts in accordance with recommendations of government's decentralization plans. Fourth, the government must work to strengthen national unity by "consolidating and strengthening the domestic front" in the face of regional challenges. Badran also committed the government to enriching political and intellectual pluralism by promoting freedoms "without conditions other than responsibility, without rules other than abidance by the national interest, and without ceilings other than the law and the constitution." Badran vowed to combat all forms of corruption. A seventh agenda item involves strengthening partnership between the various sectors of society, particularly the government and civil society. Noting the important contributions of the professional associations, he said that the government had circulated a memo to all ministries and departments encouraging them to include professional association members on committees and commissions. Eight, the government must support the armed forces and security services. Ninth, Badran committed his government to strengthening and modernizing the judiciary. Tenth, Jordan must reduce dependence on foreign funding by developing local revenues, rationalizing public expenditure and restructuring the general budget to make it "more flexible, responsive to economic changes, and more capable of facing potential foreign shock." Finally, Badran highlighted the importance of attracting foreign investment to Jordan. ¶3. (C) Deputies did not hold back their criticism of the PM's statement. The government's reform agenda, its decision to increase fuel prices, and corruption were central to the deputies' complaints as they took the floor. several deputies criticized the government's reform plans, describing them as too slow and inefficient. "Reform has gone backward in the very era of reform," MP Abdul Rahim Malhas (Amman-3rd District) declared on July 17, adding that the government's reform agenda "is purely media rhetoric to appease those who want, for their own interests, changes in our situation." Malhas declared his intention during his speech to withhold his vote of confidence for the new cabinet. ¶4. (U) Speaking on behalf of the Islamic Action Front bloc, MP Abdul Majid Khawaldeh (Mafraq) questioned the government's commitment to political reform. He complained that university students are still not allowed to elect freely the officers of their unions. He also called on the government to repeal the controversial law limiting the political activities of the professional associations. In contrast, two other IAF deputies commended the government's economic austerity measures, but insisted they be implemented fully. Another MP from Mafraq, Fayez Shdeifat, called for the removal of the provision in the Constitution which permits the dissolution of parliament, as well as a limit to the government's power to issue temporary laws. ¶5. (C) Comment: The vote is relief for Badran and his ministers. However, this government is not out of the woods yet. It can expect more tough debates in parliament and increased pressure to make good on its wide-ranging promises. With the vote out of the way, the parliament can now begin deliberating on its more than 30 agenda items (refs),but it is unlikely it will complete its work before the extraordinary session ends. Normally, such sessions last approximately four weeks, but the King ultimately decides when it will conclude. Charge has been told the session will wrap up on July 28, thus leaving any unfinished agenda items for the regular session, unlikely to begin before November. Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through the Department of State's SIPRNET home page. HALE