KING POSTPONES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 007679

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/26/2015
TAGS: PGOV KISL JO
SUBJECT: KING POSTPONES PARLIAMENTARY SESSION

REF: A. AMMAN 7651


B. AMMAN 7498

C. 04 AMMAN 8195

Classified By: CDA David Hale for Reasons 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (SBU) The palace issued a decree September 25 postponing
the start of the upcoming regular session of Parliament from
October 1 until December 1. The decree cited a section of
Jordan's constitution that gives the King authority to delay
the convocation of Parliament by up to two months. The move
was widely expected and is not unprecedented, as the palace
had similarly postponed last year's parliamentary session
until December (ref C). Several MPs admitted to poloff that
they welcomed the delay, conceding that very little work
could otherwise be accomplished due to busy Ramadan social
schedules. MP Abdel Karim Dughmi (East Banker, Mafraq) - a
traditionalist power broker in the Chamber of Deputies - told
the press that he considered the postponement "normal" and an
exercise of the King's "constitutional right."


2. (C) Other MPs were not as sanguine about the decree. MP
Ali Abul Sukkar (West Banker, Zarqa) of the Islamic Action
Front (IAF) denounced the postponement, calling it "a
suspension of the parliament's monitoring of the government."
Highly critical of the recent GOJ decision to further lift
fuel subsidies (ref A),the IAF was seeking to gather
signatures on a petition to the lower house Speaker
requesting an extraordinary session of Parliament to discuss
withdrawing confidence from PM Badran's government. Had the
IAF succeeded in gaining 56 signatures (i.e., over 50% of the
110 MPs in the Chamber of Deputies) - a highly unlikely
prospect - the King would have been under considerable
political pressure to convene an extraordinary session, but
would not have been constitutionally obliged to do so.
(NOTE: Under the Jordanian constitution, only the King is
able to convene Parliament. Likewise, the King alone
establishes the agenda of an extraordinary session. END
NOTE.)


3. (C) COMMENT: The decision to postpone the regular session
of Parliament reflects both the ongoing National Agenda
process (ref B) and the realities of Ramadan, during which
legislators are notoriously distracted by social obligations
and empty stomachs. According to Deputy PM Muasher, who
heads the commission drafting the Agenda, the document is
currently being finalized - though debate on a new elections
law continues - and should be approved by King Abdullah
shortly for a public release in October. As the National
Agenda is expected to be the centerpiece of the next
parliamentary session's agenda, it would make little sense
for Parliament to convene before the document is unveiled and
marketed to both MPs and the public. END COMMENT.
HALE