Freezing Parliamentary Life and Forming National Consultative Councils (1974-1984)

Political Environment

Parliamentary life in Jordan faced a serious setback due to: the 1967 war, the occupation of the West Bank, and the prevailing Arab and international conditions then. The Arab Summit decision in Rabat on October 16^th 1974 recognized the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Arab Palestinian people. The Summit also approved forming a Palestinian government in the West Bank after the end of Israel's occupation there. All these factors forced Jordan to freeze parliamentary life on November 23^rd 1974 in response to the resolution of the Arab Summit after the dissolution of the Ninth House of Representatives. However, on February 4^th 1976, a Royal Decree inviting the 9th House of Representatives to hold an Extraordinary session was issued to introduce amendments to the Constitution. Article 73 of the Constitutions was amended and a Royal Decree was issued dissolving the House of Representatives on February 7^th 1976.

Hence, Jordan had to find a new formula to fill the constitutional gap. For that purpose, His Majesty the late King Hussein Bin Talal formed the National Consultative Council during April 1978. The King’s Letter of Designation to the government that emphasized forming the Council was not a substitute for elections and full parliamentary life which would be resumed when the conditions in Jordan become suitable.

National Consultative Council

Council Chairman
The National Consultative Council Chairman was appointed by his Majesty the King by a Royal Decree for a two-year term which was also the duration of the Council.

National Consultative Council Structure
The National Consultative Council consisted of 60 members according to the Provisional National Consultative Council law no. 17/1978. Membership in the Council increased to 75 members under the amended law no. 25/1982. Members were appointed by a Royal Decree upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

National Consultative Council Term
The National Consultative Council term was two years to be recomposed by the end of the term as per the law. The King had the right to dissolve the Council at any time, to exempt a Council member from the Council membership, or to accept the resignation of a Council member.

Council Meetings
The opening session of the Council was held upon the Chairman’s invitation within a week from appointing the Council members. The Council Chairman would inform the Cabinet of the scheduled meeting who were entitled to attend meetings and participate in discussions with no voting right. In case critical issues came up requesting to hold a Council meeting ahead of the scheduled date, the Chairman would call for a meeting on the date deemed appropriate. The Council would specify the dates and duration of annual holidays where the Chairman should notify the Prime Minister of.

National Consultative Council Meetings Quorum
Consultative Council meetings were considered valid when at least two thirds of members were present in the opening meeting while the meetings were considered valid by the presence of the absolute majority. The Council would take its resolutions by the majority of attending members’ votes excluding the Chairman. In case of a tie, the Chairman would give the casting vote.

National Consultative Council Office
The National Consultative Council office consisted of the Chairman and two Vice Chairmen elected from members of the Council in the first Council meeting in a secret and separate ballot.

Consultative Council Committees
The National Consultative Council formed the following Committees from members by voting where no member can be in more than two committees:

1. The Legal Committee.
2. The Financial and Administrative Committee.
3. The Foreign Affairs Committee.
4. The Social and Educational Committee.
5. Any other committee deemed necessary by the Council.

National Consultative Council Authorities

The Council enjoyed the following authorities:

1. Study and discuss draft laws and provide the Cabinet with recommendations and feedback therein before approval. Draft laws were referred to the Council by the Prime Minister.
2. Provide the Cabinet with feedbacks and consultation on drafting laws, annulment or amendment of any existing law.
3. Discuss and provide the Cabinet with feedbacks and consultancy on matters of public policy. Each member of the Council had the right to request the Prime Minister or Ministers to provide clarifications about related matters.
4. Provide the Cabinet with consultancy and feedback about services and public facilities. Each member of the Council could request clarification from Ministers on related matters.
5. The Audit Bureau would provide the National Consultative Council with a general report on its feedbacks and comments with regard to committed violations and the due responsibility within six months after the end of the fiscal year and as requested.

Consultative Council Oversight Tools:

1. Queries
   Council members could inquire about ambiguous issues, verify an incident, or inquire about the Government's intentions on public services and facilities.
   
2. Suggestions
   members had the right to come forward with a written suggestion to the Council Chairman who would present it to the Council in the next meeting to take the needed actions or to refer it to the concerned committee.
   
3. Request for discussion
   At least ten members of the Council had the right to propose a public issue for discussion with the Government. The Government also had the right to propose a public issue for discussion with the Council.
   
4. Citizens Petitions presented to the Council
   Jordanian citizens had the right to file personal or public complaint to the Council.
   

The role of the National Consultative Council was: an advisory and consultative body for the Executive Authority, discusses public policy, study legislations and laws enacted by the Government, and discuss the Government’s public policy for the common interest. Such was the basis on which the National Consultative Council law was issued where three councils were formed as follows:

• First: National Consultative Council
  The First National Consultative Council was formed on April 20^th 1978 and ended on April 20^th 1980 headed by His Excellency Ahmad Al-Lawzi and the membership of:
  

1	Ahmad Al-Louzi	31	Salim Bin Njjad
2	Ahmad Mahmud Al-Tarawneh	32	Nayef Al-Su’od
3	Wasfi Mirza	33	Saeed Al-Ghazawi
4	Abdullah Al-Remawi	34	Mamdouh Al-Sarayreh
5	Abdul- Wahhab Al-Majali	35	Muhammad Ali Bdair
6	Kamal Al-Dajani	36	Waleed Asfour
7	Khaleel Al-Salim	37	Zuhair Malhas
8	Radi Al-Abdullah	38	Ameen Shuqair
9	Abdul-Majeed Hejazi	39	Carlos Da’mas
10	Ja'far Al-Shami	40	Mahmud Al-Shareef
11	Ya'qoub Abu Ghoush	41	Jamal Al-Sha’er
12	Abdul-Majeed Al-Shraideh	42	Muhammad Ahmad Rabee’
13	Ishaq Al-Farhan	43	En’am Al-Mufti
14	Muhammad Farhan Al Obeidat	44	Taher Hekmat
15	Ahmad Al-Shobaki	45	Haiel Abu Briez
16	Marwan Al-Hmoud	46	Shafeeq Al-Zawaydeh
17	Muhammad Odoub Al-Zabin	47	Shams Aldden Othman Tash
18	Suleyman Arar	48	Widad Bolos
19	Abdur-Rauf Al Rawabdeh	49	Sultan Majed Al-Adwan
20	Ali Al-Sohemat	50	Abdullah Akho Irshedah
21	Nayef Al-Khraisha	51	Hammad Ali Al-Ma’aytah
22	Hamadah Al-Fawaz	52	Isa Al-Qsous
23	Solayman Al-Qdah	53	Jawdat Al-Sboul
24	Jum’ah Hammad	54	Khalaf Abu Nwear
25	Jawdat Al-Mhaisin	55	Sami Hassan Mansour
26	Atta Allah Al-Kabariti	56	Muhammad Younis Al’azeh
27	Khalid Al-Fayyad	57	Muhammad Khaleel Khattab
28	Ali Al-Basheer	58	Na’ela Al-Rashdan
29	Na’em Al-Tall	59	Jamal Abdul-Kareem Abu Baqar
30	Sulayman Al-Rtaimah


Council Changes

1. A Royal Decree was issued accepting the resignation of his Excellency Dr. Is'haq Al-Farhan from the National Consultative Council on September 15^th 1978.
2. A Royal Decree was issued accepting the resignation of Nayef Al-Khraisha from the National Consultative Council on April 25^th 1978.
3. A Royal Decree was issued appointing Barakat Al-Zuhair as member of the National Consultative Council on May 28^th 1978.
4. A Royal Decree was issued accepting the resignation of his Excellency Mr. Ja'far Al-Shami from the National Consultative Council on March 6^th 1979.
5. A Royal Decree was issued accepting the resignation of Ahmad Al-Lawzi on December 20^th 1979.
6. A Royal Decree was issued appointing Ahmad Al-Tarawneh Chairman of the National Consultative Council on December 20^th 1979.
7. A Royal Decree was issued appointing their Excellencies Muheeb Al-Khayat, and Darweesh Sayel Al-Shahwan members of the National Consultative Council on March 20^th 1979.
• Second: National Consultative Council
  The second National Consultative Council was formed on April 20^th 1980 and ended on January 20^th April 1984. The Council was chaired by H.E Mr. Ahmad Mahmoud Al-Tarawnah with the membership of:
  

1	Ahmad Mahmud Al-Tarawneh	31	Haiel Abu Briez
2	Abdul-Wahab Al-Majali	32	Shams Aldden Othman Tash
3	Kamal Al-Dajani	33	Widad Bolos
4	Khaleel Al-Salim	34	Sultan Majed Al-Adwan
5	Ahmad Abu Qura	35	Abdullah Akho Irshedah
6	Abdul-Majeed Hejazi	36	Hammad Ali Al-Ma’aytah
7	Ya’qoub Abu Ghoush	37	Isa Al-Qsous
8	Adnan Abu Odeh	38	Jawdat Al-Sboul
9	Abdul-Majeed Al-Shraideh	39	Khalaf Abu Nwear
10	Anees Al-Mo’ushar	40	Sami Hassan Mansour
11	Ahmad Al-Shobaki	41	Muhammad Khaleel Khattab
12	Marwan Al-Hmoud	42	Na’ela Al-Rashdan
13	Muhammad Odoub Al-Zabin	43	Muhammad Ahmad Rabee’
14	Suleyman Arar	44	Mansour Al-Batayneh
15	Abdur-Rauf Rawabdeh	45	Khaled Abd-Alnabbi
16	Ali Al-Shemat	46	Ishaq Maraqah
17	Taher Hekmat	47	Awni Al-Masri
18	Hamadah Al-Fawaz	48	Abd Mosa Al-Nhar
19	Solayman Al-Qdah	49	Mrs. Adawya Al’almi
20	Jum’ah Hammad	50	Anwar Al-Shboul
21	Atta Allah Al-Kabariti	51	Hassan Al-Momani
22	Khalid Al-Fayyad	52	Rox Al’azezi
23	Sulayman Al-Rtiamah	53	Janait Al-Mufti Dakhqan
24	Salim Bin Njjad	54	Yassen Al-Braish
25	Saeed Al-Ghazawi	55	Mardi Al-Qttameen
26	Muhammad Ali Bdair	56	Mamdouh Abu Hassan
27	Waleed Asfour	57	Barakat Al-Zuhair
28	Ameen Shuqair	58	Meflih Al-Lozi
29	Carlos Da’mas	59	Ibrahim Naji Al-Azzam
30	Mahmud Al-Shareef	60	Muhammad Ibrahim Al’zah

• Third: National Consultative Council
  
  The third National Consultative Council was formed on April 20^th 1982 and ended on January 7^th 1984. The Council was chaired by H.E. Mr. Suleiman Arar with the membership of:
  

1	Abdul-Wahab Al-Majali	39	Sultan Majed Al-Adwan
2	Kamal Al-Dajani	40	Abdullah mohamad Akho Irshedah
3	Khaleel Al-Salim	41	Hammad Ali Al-Ma’aytah
4	Ahmad Abu Qura	42	Jawdat Rezeq Al-Sboul
5	Yahya Al-Khateeb	43	Khalaf Abu Nwear
6	Abdul-Majeed Hejazi	44	Khaled Abd-Alnabbi
7	Ya’qoub Abu Ghoush	45	Ishaq Maraqah
8	Adnan Abu Odeh	46	Mamdouh Adbul-Rahman Abu Hassan
9	Abdul-Majeed Al-Shraideh	47	Meflih Al-Lozi
10	Omar Al-Nabelsi	48	Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Azah
11	Omar Abdullah	49	Abdul-Raheem Jarrar
12	Anees Al-Mo’ushar	50	Ezz Al_Deen Al-Khateeb Al-Tamimi
13	Marwan Al-Hmoud	51	Fares Al-Sarayrah
14	Muhammad Odoub Al-Zabin	52	Hassan Rasheed Al-Gharaybeh
15	Suleyman Arar	53	Nezar Abdul-Raheem Jaradneh
16	Abdur-Rauf Al- Rawabdeh	54	Lith Farhan Al-Shbelat
17	Saeed Bino	55	Muhammad S’ed Darweesh
18	Ali Al-Sohemat	56	Mejhem Hadetheh Al-Khreshah
19	Jamal Al-Sha’er	57	Hani Al-Hejazeen
20	Taher Hekmat	58	Hamdi Muhammad Al-Habashneh
21	Awni Al-Masri	59	Nemer Aref Al-Zanati
22	Salman Al-Qdah	60	Ibrahim Ali Sulayman Al-Matalqa
23	Atta Allah Al-Kabariti	61	Abdul-Haleem Hassan Samarah Al-Zo’bi
24	Khalid Al-Fayyad	62	Yahya Khrais
25	Sulayman Al-Rtaimah	63	Mahmud Al-Kayed Al-Dergham
26	Salim bin Najad	64	Haifa Malhas Al-Basheer
27	Muhammad Ali Bdair	65	Hesham Faleh Al-Tall
28	Ameen Shuqair	66	Abdul-Qader Naji Al-Omari
29	Carlos Da’mas	67	Sa’d Hayel Al-Srour
30	Leila Sharaf	68	Meqbel Naji Al-Momani
31	Eid Mousa Abu Awad Al-Alaya	69	Samiah Nadeem Al-Ziro
32	Ali Abdul-Rahman Ibrahim Al-Khashman	70	Isa Abed Abdul-Raheem Al-Remoni
33	Faisal Sadeq Kan’an	71	Mrs. Eideh Mostafa Metleq Qanah
34	Muhammad Ramadan Fares	72	Mamdouh Al-Abbadi
35	AbdulJabber Tayem	73	Sameeh Ishaq Al-Farah
36	Hani Abu Hejleh	74	Ali Abu Irbehah
37	Abdul-Salam Isa Qasem	75	Falah Awad Al-Mkhaemer
38	Hesham Al-Sharari