AMMAN (Al Jazeera) – Jordanian legislators recently passed a slew of amendments that critics say further broaden King Abdullah II’s wide range of powers.
The 30 constitutional amendments flew through the lower and upper houses with ease earlier this month — the only memorable dispute a fistfight in the legislature that was spurred more by personal than parliamentary matters.
“They are playing with the constitution,” said Mahmoud al-Kharabsheh, who during his 20 years in parliament served multiple terms as head of the House Legal Committee.
Notable among the amendments is the creation of a National Security Council, which will include the prime minister, foreign and interior ministers, the heads of the kingdom’s security apparatuses, and others appointed by the king. It will convene in a “state of necessity” at the king’s invitation.
Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh described the council as a “safety valve” to ensure “no partisan considerations affect the national issues”, Jordan’s state-run media quoted him as saying.
Current head of the Lower House Legal Committee and former House Speaker Abdul Monem Odat told Al Jazeera the council will facilitate coordination during matters of national security.
However, some analysts say the council creates a “fourth branch of government”.
“We’ve never had a constitution with such great power for His Majesty the King,” said Oraib Rantawi, director of the Amman-based Al-Quds Center for Political Studies.
The recent amendments also add to Article 40, which expands the king’s “exclusive powers” to appoint and dismiss the chief justice, head of the Sharia Judicial Council, and other court officials.
This adds to King Abdullah’s already hefty pile of powers, on top of his ability to appoint the prime minister as well as heads of the lower house, upper house, constitutional court, army, and security departments.
“We have no problem with the king exercising wide powers because the constitution says he is the head of state. But you’re leaving nothing for the elected prime minister, the elected government,” said Raed Omari, a political analyst and veteran journalist.
The recent amendments came in tandem with the recommendations from the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System (RCMPS) – a 92-member committee King Abdullah entrusted with developing political reforms to bring the kingdom into “a new and critical phase”.
The king formed the committee amid mounting unemployment and increasing discontent, and in the aftermath of his half-brother Prince Hamzah’s alleged coup plot.