Ammon News - By Khaled Neimat/ Jordan Times

AMMAN — The government will face strong opposition from Parliament if it decides to lift electricity subsidies, parliamentary sources said on Monday.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour is expected to outline his government’s policy over electricity prices to the Lower House on Tuesday, but the majority of MPs are not convinced that the government has examined all possible alternatives to the price hikes, despite repeated statements that all options would be taken into consideration.

The government has strived to gain sufficient support from deputies in the Lower House over the past few weeks.

Just one day ahead of Ensour presenting what he called “his vision of the future of electricity prices” to Parliament, Watan [Homeland], the largest bloc in the Lower House, publicly voiced their opposition to the move.

In a statement issued Monday, the bloc said it does not believe the government has considered the alternative suggestions to raising the prices of electricity that deputies have devised seriously.

The bloc warned Ensour that it would end its “partnership” with the government if electricity prices were hiked.

According to the Watan statement, the fact that the government has ignored the deputies’ suggestions shows that it is obstinate in wanting to raise electricity prices.

A House source who opposes the decision said he counted critics of the move and found out that over 90 MPs out of 150 have openly declared they would oppose any move by the government to increase electricity prices.

However, another source said that some deputies and blocs are holding their support from Ensour as a bargaining chip to win Cabinet posts in an imminent government reshuffle.

His Majesty King Abdullah has said recently that appointing MPs as ministers is not a preferable move under the circumstances.

The source, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Jordan Times that the deputies “will not allow Ensour to, once again, take everything from them whilst giving nothing back”, in reference to the reshuffle.

Deputies did not believe the premier was sincere in his visions for a “parliamentary government”, the source added, noting that Ensour “manoeuvred and manipulated Lower House members so he could gain confidence”.

“Now it is time to practise real politics,” a leading deputy added, also speaking on condition of anonymity, noting that Ensour must offer MPs an incentive before the Parliament considers lifting electricity subsidies.

According to the Watan spokesperson, if Ensour does increase electricity prices without the parliamentary consensus, then he will violate one of the conditions under which he won the confidence of the Lower House.

The second largest parliamentary bloc, the Islamic Centrist Party, also issued a statement Monday in which it announced it will boycott Tuesday’s session with Ensour as a “protest against the government’s determination to increase the prices of electricity”.

“If the government cannot find alternative solutions to hiking the prices, then it must give space for another one that can,” the statement added.