Jordan's parliament has passed several constitutional
amendments giving King Abdullah more powers, including the right to appoint the
head of a top court and members of the senate.
The
King was also granted the power to appoint his own regent and crown prince. State-owned
news agency Petra said the amendments were passed with 123 votes in favour
out of 142. The parliament has a total of 150 MPs. The changes gave the King
the right to make key appointments by royal decree without any nomination
process by the government or signatures from the Council of Ministers.
In 2015, the parliament passed a previous constitutional
amendment that gave Abdullah the power to hire and fire the heads of the army
and the intelligence services. Before that amendment, and those on Thursday, he
had only power to directly appoint the prime minister.
Petra said the amendments "aim to strengthen the principle
of separation of powers, boost the independence of the Constitutional Court and
the judiciary and enhance the neutrality of the gendarmerie in politics."Opponents, though, say the move is a rollback of gains made during
the so-called Arab Spring in 2011, when Abdullah promised reforms that would
eventually limit his powers, not increase them.
"With these amendments now in place, Jordan is moving
toward an absolute monarchy as opposed to a constitutional monarchy whereby the
King would rule through a legally accountable executive branch," Abdel
Karim al Dughmi, one of the MPs who voted against the amendments, told Al
Jazeera.
"Under
the new rules, those who will be appointed by the King, who enjoys
constitutional protection and legal immunity, would be by extension above the
law."
Source: Ajazeera
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