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Ammon News - by Khaled Neimat | The Jordan Times

AMMAN — The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) on Thursday decided to set November 9 as the date for by-elections in two districts to fill vacant Lower House seats, with the preparations to start immediately.

The decision came after the commission received official notification from the House on the vacant seats.

Two seats in the 150-strong House are now vacant after Mahmoud Hweimel (Karak, 4th District) passed away in July and Talal Sharif (Amman, 1st District) was dismissed two weeks ago for attempting to shoot his colleague MP Qusai Dmeisi (Zarqa, 4th District).

According to Article 88 of the Constitution, the Lower House must inform the IEC of vacant seats within one month.

The IEC decision also included the appointment of heads and members of the electoral committees in these two districts, according to IEC Secretary General Ali Darabkeh.

“The IEC will hold the by-election within two months as stipulated in the Constitution,” acting director of the IEC’s media department, Sharaf Abu Rumman said.

Since the resumption of democratic life in Jordan in 1989, eight by-elections have been conducted to fill the vacant seats of MPs who either died or whose memberships were cancelled.

In the current 17th Parliament, newly elected deputy Mohammad Mahseiri (Amman, 2nd District) passed away less than a week after the January 23 parliamentary elections.

The IEC held by-elections in April in the district to fill his seat.