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Ammon News - AMMAN (Jordan Times) –– A Royal Decree was issued Thursday dissolving the 55-member Upper House as of November 25, 2010. Another decree was also issued appointing the 60 members of the new Senate.

The new number of senators is consistent with the increase in the Lower House seats to 120 under the new temporary Elections Law. The Constitution limits the number of senators to a maximum of 50 per cent of that of House members.

Also Thursday, a third decree was issued reappointing Taher Masri as Senate president, a Royal Court statement said.

The new Senate includes nine women, veteran statesmen, businessmen, academicians, opposition leaders and other members of the political, social and economic elite, according to the list.

The list shows that 28 members remained from the outgoing Senate, while 20 left. Seven members of the chamber have resigned over the past year for different reasons.

The Senate and the Lower House will convene on Sunday after a Royal Decree was issued Monday summoning the 16th Parliament for its opening session, where members of both chambers will listen to the Speech from the Throne.

In a letter addressed to His Majesty King Abdullah, Masri pledged that the Senate will cooperate with the Lower House and with the state authorities and institutions, in line with the Constitution and the laws in effect.

He said senators will work to draw up rules and regulations to facilitate and speed up comprehensive political, economic and social reform.

He also expressed the Senate’s appreciation of the King’s efforts to guarantee significant and effective public participation in decision making, safeguard national unity, improve the living conditions of Jordanians and provide them with security and stability and best services.

List of Senators

Following is the complete list of the members of the Senate:

Taher Al Masri
Fayez Tarawneh
Abdur-Ra’uf S. Rawabdeh
Marouf Bakhit
Abdul Hadi Majali
Marwan Hmoud
Taher Hikmat
Laila Sharaf
Riad Shakaa
Awad Khleifat
Hamdi Tabbaa
Mohammad Hamdan
Mohammad Sqour
Amin Mahmoud
Tawfiq Kreishan
Abdul Ilah Khatib
Kamal Nasser
Aqel Biltaji
Saleh Qallab
Hatem Halawani
Abed Shakhanbeh
Salah Al Din Bashir
Nabil Sharif
Amal Farhan
Mohammad Ali Alawneh
Sharif Zu’bi
Suhair Al-Ali
Bassem Salem
Hamad Kasasbeh
Maha Khatib
Tayseer Nueimi
Ayman Odeh
Ghaleb Zu’bi
Michel Hamarneh
Umayya Toukan
Daoud Hanania
Khalid Sarayreh
Mustafa Fayyad
Alia Abu Tayeh
Wijdan Saket
Abdul Hamid Shoman
Nawal Faouri
Ahmad Ayed Ajarmeh
Jaafar Hneiti
Abdul Majeed Thneibat
Taher Fawwaz
Nazih Ammarin
Abdullah Habahbeh
Nael Kabariti
Mohammad Roud
Ihsan Shordom
Mahmoud Abbadi
Nirmeen Harbi
Ghazi Jbour
Mahmoud Zghoul
Talal Abu Ghazaleh
Nadim Muasher
Khalid Sharif
Rima Naseef Batshoun
Mazen Darwazeh