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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Atef Tarawneh was reelected Sunday as head of the chamber for the third time in a vote that followed the opening of the 17th Parliament's third ordinary session by His Majesty King Abdullah with the Speech from the Throne.

The incumbent won an outright victory in the first round of balloting, having garnered 100 of the 149 votes cast by lawmakers in the opening session.

Three other lawmakers also ran for the legislature's top job: Assaf Shoubaki, who won came second with 19 votes, Fawaz Zu'bi, 10 and Hind Al Fayez, 8, while 12 blank votes were found.

In an address after the vote, Tarawneh thanked the King for his keynote address and pledged to uphold the guidelines and national positions outlined by the Speech from the Throne, including the country's stances towards Arab and regional issues.

He pledged to remain as "a soldier in this authority and a faithful servant of the country" and said the House will press forward to accomplish the legislative and oversight tasks with a clear vision to fully serve the nation.

The House chief said the ordinary session's priority is the elections draft law and budget bill, stressing the need to continue to look for "the necessary legislative cures to rectify performance and advance the King's vision of comprehensive reform".

He said the 17th parliament, in its previous sessions, had passed 139 laws and looks forward to accomplishing more during the current session, notably the elections draft law, which is deemed as the lynchpin of political life in the Kingdom.

Tarawneh also reiterated that the House will stand behind the King and security forces in the fight against terrorism and the "dark ideology that threatens us all" and to remain united and true to our national constants and solidify the internal front to face the regional circumstances and challenges.

In its evening session, the legislature will elect members of the permanent office (the Speaker's two deputies and assistants), the committee to reply to the Speech from the Throne and the chamber's 20 permanent committees.