Article 75.
(i) No person shall become a Senator or Deputy:
(a) Who is not a Jordanian.
(b) Who claims foreign nationality or protection.
(c) Who was adjudged bankrupt and
has not been legally discharged.
(d) Who was interdicted and the
Interdlctlon has not been removed.
(e) Who was sentenced to a term of
imprisonment exceeding one
year for a non-polltical offence
and has not been pardoned.
(f) Who has a material interest in
any contract, other than a
contract or lease of land and
property, with any Department
of Government, provided that
this provision shall not apoaly to
any shareholder in a company of
more than ten members.
(g) Who is insane or an imbecile.
(h) Who is related to the King within a degree of consanguinity
to be prescribed by special law.
(ii) Should any Senator or Deputy become disqualified during his term of
office or should it appear after his
election that he lacks one or more of
the qualifications provided for in the
preceding paragraph, his membership shall, by a resolutlon of
two-thirds of the members of the
House to which he belongs, be
considered inexistent and vacant,
provided that such a resolution, if
passed by the Senate, is submitted
to the King for ratification.
Article 76. Subject to the provisions of Article 52
of the present Constitutlon. no person
shall be allowed to be a member of either the
Chamber of Deputies or the
Senate and a holder of a public office at
the same time. Public office means
every office whose holder receives his
salary from public funds; it includes
municipal offices. Similarly, no person
shall be allowed to be a member of both
the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
Article 77. Subject to the provisions of the present
Constitution relating to the dissolution
of the Chamber of Deputies, the
National Assembly shall hold one ordinary
session during each year of its term.
Article 78.
(i) * The King shall summon the
National Assembly to an ordinary
session on the first day of October
of each year or, if that day is an
official holiday, on the first day
following the official holiday,
provided that the King may, by
Royal Decree published in the Official
Gazette, postpone for a period
not exceeding two months the
meeting of the Assembly to a date
to be fixed by the Royal Decree.
(ii) If the National Assembly is not
summoned in accordance with the
preceding paragraph, it shall meet
of its own motion as if it was so
summoned.
(iii) * The ordinary session of the
National Assembly shall begin on
the date upon which it was summoned to meet in accordance with
the two preceding paragraphs, and
shall last for four months unless
the Chamber of Deputies is dlissolved
by the King before the expiration of that
period. The session may be prolonged by the King for a
further period not exceeding three
months to allow for thc despatch of
pending matters. At the expiration
of the four months or any such
prolongation thereof, the King shall
prorogue the Assembly.
Article 79. The King shall inaugurate the ordinary
session of the National Assembly by a
Speech from the Throne addressed to a
joint meeting of the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies. He may depute
the Prime Minister or any of the Ministers
to perform the inauguratlon
ceremony and deliver the Speech from
the Throne. Each of the two Houses
shall submit a petition which shall
contain its Reply thereto.
Article 80. Every Senator. and Deputy shall, before
taking his seat, take an oath before his
House in the following terms:
``I swear by Atmighty God to be
loyal to the King snd to the
Country and to uphold the Constitution, serve the Nation and
duly perform the duties entrusted to me''.
Article 81.
(i) The King may by Royal Decree
adjourn the session of the National
Assembly for not more than three
times, or two times only if He had
postponed the meeting of the
National Assembly under paragraph i of i
Article 78, provided that
during any one session the period of
such postponement shall not exceed
two months in the aggregate, including the period of postponement.
In computing the term of the session, the periods covered by any
such adjournment shall not be taken
into account.
(ii) The Senate and the Chamber of
Deputies may adjourn their session
from time to time in conformity with
their own Internal Regulations.
Article 82.
(i) The King may whenever necessary
summon the National Assembly to
meet in an extraordinary session for
an unspecified period for the purpose of deciding matters to be
Specified in the Royal Decree when
the summons are issued. An extraordinary session
shall be prorogued by a Royal Decree.
(ii) The King may sumnmon the National
Assembly to meet in an extraordinary session at the request of an
absolute majority of the deputies.
Such request shall be contained in a
petition specifying the matters
which it is desired to discuss.
(iii) The National Assembly shall not
discuss in any extraordinary session except such matters as are
specified in the Royal Decree
convening the session.
Article 83. The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies shall each make its Internal
Regulations for the control and organization
of its own proceedings and
shall submit such Orders to the King for ratification.
Article 84.
(i) * No meeting of either House shall be
considered duly constituted unless
uttended by two-thirds of the
members of either House, and shall
continue to be valid as long as an
absolute majority of the members
of either House is present.
(ii) Resolutions by each of the two
Houses shall be taken by a majority
of votes of the members present,
excluding the Speaker, who shall
not vote except where it is otherwise
provided in the present Constitution.
ln the case of equality of
votes the Speaker shall have a
casting vote.
(iii) If the voting is related to the Constitution
or to a motion of no confidence in the Council of Ministers
or in a particular Minister, the votes
shall be taken by calling the names
of members in a loud voice.
Article 85. The meetings of both the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies shall be public.
Secret mcetings may, however, be
convened at the request of the
Government or of five Senators or Deputies.
If such a request is made, the
Senate or Chamber of Deputies shall
decide whether it should be accepted or
rejected.
Article 86.
(i) No Senator or Deputy may be detained or
tried during the currency of
the sessions of the National Assembly
unless the House to which he
belongs decides by an absolute
majority that there is sufficient
reason for his detention or trial or
unless he was arrested flagrante
delicto. In the event of his arrest in
this manner, the House to which he
belongs, shall be notified immediately.
(ii) If a member is detained for any
reason while the National Assembly
is not sitting, the Prime Mintster
shall notify the Senate or the
Chamber of Deputies when it
reassembles of the proceedangs
which were taken against him,
coupled with the necessary explanation.
Article 87. Every Senator or Deputy shall have
complete freedom of speech and expression of
opinion within the limits of
the Internal Regulations of the Senate
or Chamber of Deputles, as the case
may be, and shall not be answerable in
respect of any vote which he had cast or
opinion expressed or speech made by
him during the meetings of the House.
Article 88. * When 8 seat becomes vacant in the
Senate or in the Chamber of Deputies by
death or resignation or for any other
reason. it shall be filled by appointment
in the case of a Senator and by the
holding of a by-election in the case of a
deputy within a period of two months
from the date on which the Government
is notlfied of the vacancy by the House.
The term of the new member shall be for
the remaining part of the term of his
predecessor.
However, if a seat in the Chamber of
Deputies becomes vacant for any constituency
for any reason and should
there be force majeure on account of
which the Council of Ministers considers
that rendering a by-election to fill
that seat is impossible, the Chamber of
Deputies, by the absolute majority of its
members and within one month of its
being notified thereof, shall elect a
member to fill the said seat from
amongst the inhabitants of the said
constituency to whom the provisions of
the Constitution are applicable and in
the manner thc Chamber deems appropriate.
Article 89.
(i) In addition to the circumstances
under which the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies may hold a
Joint meeting as prescribed in Articles 34, 79 and 92
of the present
Constitution, both Houses shall
hold a joint meeting at thc request
of the Prime Minister.
(ii) When the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies hold a joint
meeting, the meeting shall be presided over
by the Speaker of the Senate.
(iii) * A joint meeting of the Senate and
the Chamber of Deputies shall not
be considered properly constituted
unless an absolute majority of the
members of each House is present.
Resolutions at such a meeting shall
be taken by a majority of thc Senators
and Deputies present, exclusive of the Speaker who, in case
of equality of votes, shall have a
casting vote.
Article 90. No Senator or Deputy may be removed
from his office except by a resolution of
the House to which he belongs, provided that,
other than the case of disqualification and combination of offices
as prescribed in this Constitution and in
the Electoral Law. the resolution to
remove a Senator or Deputy must be
taken by a two-thirds majority of the
House. If the resolution of removal
concerns a Senator, the resolutlon must
be submitted to the King for ratification.
Article 91. The Prime Minister shall refer to the
Chamber of Deputies any draft taw, and
the Chamber shall be entitled to acccpt,
amend, or reject the draft law, but in all
cases the Chamber shall refer the draft
law to the Senate. No law may be
promulgated unless passed by both the
Senate and the Chamber of Deputies
and ratitfied by the King.
Article 92. Should either House twice reject any
draft law and the other accept it,
whether or not amended, hoth the Senate and the
Chamber shall hold a joint
meeting under the chairmanship of the
Speaker of the Senate to discuss the
matters in dispute. Acceptance of the
draft law shall be conditional upon the
passing of a resolution by a two-thirds
majority of the members of both Houses present.
If the draft law is rejected as described
above, it shall not be placed again before
the House during the same session.
Article 93.
(i) Every draft law passed by the Senate
and the Chamber of Deputies
shall be submitted to the King for
ratification.
(ii) A law shall come into force after its
promulgation by the King and the
lapse of thirty days from the date of
its publication in thc official
Gazette unless it is specifically
provided in that law that it shali
come into force on any other date.
(iii) If the King does not see fit to ratify
a law, He may, within six months
from the date on which the law was
submitted to him, refer it back to
the House coupled with a
statement showing the reasons for
withholding His ratifcation.
(iv) If any draft law (other than the
Constitution) is referred back within the
period specified in the
preceding paragraph and is passed
for the second time by two-thirds of
the members of each of the Senate
and the Chamber of Deputies, it
shall be promulgated. If the law is
not returned with the Royal ratificatinn
within the period prescribed
in paragraph (iii) above, it shall be
considered as promulgated and
effective. If any draft law fails to
obtain the two thirds majority of
votes, it cannot be reconsidered
during the same session, provided
that lhe National Assembly may
reconsider lhe draft during its next
ordinary session.
Article 94. *
(i) In cases where thc National Assembly
is not sitting or is dessolved,
the Council of Ministers has, with
the approval of the King, the power
to issue provisional laws covering
matters which require necessary
measures which admit of no delay or
which necessitate expenditures
incapable of postponement. Such
provisional laws, which shall not be
contrary to the provisions of the
Constitution, shall have the force of
law, provided that they are placed
before the Assembly at the beginning of
its next session. and the
Assembly may approve or amend
(ii) Any law proposed by Senators or
Deputies In accordance with the
preceding paragraph and rejected by
either House shall not be presented
for a second time during the same
session.
Article 96. Any Senator or Deputy may address
questions or interpellations to the Ministers
concerning any public matters, in
accordance with the provisions of the
Internal Regulations of the Senate or
the House (as the case may be). No
interpellation may be debated before the
lapse of eight days from the date of its
receipt by the Minister, unless the case
is of an urgent nature and the Minister
agrees to shorten this period.
CHAPTER SIX
The Judictary
Article 97. Judges are independent, and in the
exercise of their judicial functions they
are subject to no authority other than
that of the law.
Article 98. Judges of the Civil and Sharia Courts
shall be appolnted and dismissed by a
Royal Decree in accordance with the
provisions of the law.
Article 99. The courts shall be divided into three
categories:
(i) Civil Courts
(ii) Religious Courts
(iii) Special Courts.
Article 100. The establishment of the various
courts, their categories, their divisions.
their jurisdiction and their
administration shall be by virtue of a
special law, provided that such law
provides for the establishment of a
High Court of Justice.
Article 101.
(i) The courts shall be open to all and
shall be free from any interference
in their affairs
(ii) The sittings of the courts shall be
public unless the court considers
that it should sit in camera in the
interest of public order or morals.
Article 102. * The Clvil Courts in the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan shall have jurisdiction over
all persons in all matters, civil and criminsl, including cases
brought by or against the Government.
except those matters in respect of
which jurlsdictlon is vested in Religious or
Special Courts in accordance
wlth the provisions of the present
Constitution * or any other legislation in force.
Article 103.
(i) The Civil Courts shall exercise
their jurisdiction in respect to civil
and criminal matters in accordance
with the law for the time being in
force in the Kingdom, provided
that in matters affecting the personal
status of foreigners or in
matters of a civil or commercial
nature which in accordance with
international usage are governed
by the law of another country,
such law shall be applied in the
manner designated by the law.
(ii) Matters of personal status are
those which are defined by law
and in accordance therewith fall
within the exclusive jurisdiction of
the Sharia Courts where the parties are Moslems.
Article 104. The Religious Courts shall be divided into:
(i) The Sharia Courts
(ii) The Tribunals of other Religious Communities.
Article 105. The Sharia Courts shall in accordance
with their own laws have exclusive
jurisdiction in respect of the following
matters:
(i) Matters of personal status of
Moslems.
(ii) Cases concerning blood money
(DlYA) where the two parties are
Moslems or where one of the
parties is not a Moslem and the
two parties consent to the jurisdictfon of the Sharia Courts.
(iii) Matters pertaining to Islamic Wakfs.
Article 106. The Sharia Courts shall in the exercise
of their Jurisdiction apply thc provisions of the Sharia law.
Article 107. The organization of the affairs of
Moslem Wakfs and the administration of their
financial matters,
among other matters, shall be regulated by a special law.
Article 108. The Tribunals of Religious Communities
are those for the non-Moslem
religious communities which have
been or will be recognised by the
Government as established in the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Article 109.
(i) Tribunals of Religious Communities
shall be established in
conformity with the provisions of
laws pertaining thereto. Such laws
shall define the jurisdiction of
such Tribunals in matters of
personal status and Wakfs constituted
for the benefit of the
Communities concerned. Matters of
personal status of any such
community shall be the same
matters as are, in thc case of
Moslems, within the jurisdiction
of the Sharia Courts.
(ii) Such laws shall determine the
procedure to be followed by the
Tribrunals of the Religious Communities.
Article 110. Special Courts shall exercise their
jurisdiction in accordance with the
provisions of the laws constituting
them .
CHAPTER SEVEN
Financlal Matters
Article 111. No tax or duty may be imposed except
by law. Taxes and duties shall not
include the various kinds of fees which
the Treasury charges in respect of
services rendered to members of the
public by Government Departments or
in consideration of benefits accruing to
them from the State Domain. In imposing taxes,
the Government shall be
guided by the principles of progressive
taxation, coupled with the attainment
of equality and social Justice, provided
that taxation shall not exceed the
capacity of tax-payers or the State's
requirements for funds.
Article 112.
(i) The draft law covering the
General Budget shall be submitted to the National Assembly
for consideration in accordance
with the provisions of the Constitution at least
one month before the beginning of the financial
year.
(ii) Voting in respect of the budget
shall take place on each chapter
separately.
(iii) No sum falling within the expenditure section of the General
Budget may be transferred from
one chapter to another except by
law.
(iv) The National Assembly, when
debating the General Budget draft
law or the provisional laws relating thereto, may reduce the
expenditures under the various
chapters in accordance with what
it considers to be in the public
interest, but it shall not increase
such expenditures either by
amendment or by the submission
of a separate reroposal, however,
the Assembly may after the close
of the debate propose laws for lhe
creation of new expenditures.
Budget, no proposal shall be
accepted for the abrogation of an
existing tax or the creation of a
new one or the amendment,
whether by increase or reduction.
of existing taxes which are prescribed by financial laws in force,
and no proposal shall be accepted
for amending expenditures or
revenues fixed by contract.
(vi) The national revenucs and ex-
penditures estimated for cach
financial year shall be approved
by the General Budget Law,
provided that said Law may
provide for the allocation of any
special sums for a period exceeding one year.
Article 113. * If it is not possible to enact the
General Budget Law prior to the beginning •of
the new financial year,
expenditures shall continue by
monthly appropriations at the rate of
1/12th for each month of the previous
year's budget.
Article 114. The Council of Ministers may, with
the approval of the King, issue regulations
for the control of appropriations and expenditures of the public
funds and the organisation of Government stores.
Article 115. All receipts from taxes and other
sources of Government revenue shall
be paid into the Treasury and shall be
included in the Governmcnt budget
save where otherwise provided by
law. No part of the funds of the
Treasury may be appropriated or expended for any purpose whatever
except under the law.
Article 116. The Civil List of the King shall be paid
from the General Revenue and shall be
fixed in the General Budget Law.
Article 117. Any concession granting a right for the
exploitation ol mines. minerals or
public utililies shall be sanctioned by
law.
Article 118. No person shall be exempt from the
payment of taxes or duties in circumstances olher than those
prescribed by law.
Article 119. An Audit office shall be set up by law
for controlling the State's revenues,
its expenses and the manner of expenditure:
(i) Thc Audit Office shall submit to
thc Chamber of Deputies at the
beginning of each ordinary session, or whenevcr the Chamber
demands, a general report embodying its views and comments
and indicating any irregularities
committed and the responsibility
arising therefrom.
(ii) The law shall provide for the
immunity of the Head of the Audit Office.
CHAPTER EIGHT
General Provisions
Article 120. The administrative divisions of the
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the
establishment of the Government
Departments, their classification,
designations, the plan of operations
and the manner of the appointment of
civil servants, their dismissal, their
discipline, supervision and the limits
of their competence and powers shall
be determined by regulations issued
by the Council of Ministers with the
approval of the King.
Article 121. Municipal and local council affairs
shall be administered by municipal or
local councils in accordance with
special laws.
Article 122. The High Tribunal provided for
in Article 57 shall have the right to
interpret the provisions of the Constitution
if so requested either by
virtue of a decision of the Council of
Ministers or by a resolution taken by
the Senate or the Chamber of Deputies
passed by absolute majority. Such
interpretation shall be implemented
upon its publication in the Official
Gazette.
Article 123.
(i) The Special Tribunal (Diwan Khass)
(i) The Special Tribunal (Diwan Khass)
may interpret the provisions of any law which have not
been interpreled by the courts if
so requested by the Prime Minister.
(ii) The Special Tribunal shall consist
of the President of the highest
Civil Court as chairman, two of its
Judges and one senior administrative official,
who shall be appointed by the Council of Ministers,
as members. It shall also
include a member delegated by
the Minister concerned from
among the senior officials of the
Ministry which is involved in the
needed interpretation.
(iii) * The Special Tribunal shall give
its decisions by a majority of votes.
(iv) Decisions given by the Special
Tribunal and published in the
Official Gazette shall have the
force of law.
interpretation of laws shall be
decided as they arise by the
courts of law in the usual course.
Article 124. In the event of an emergency necessitating the
defence of the Kingdom, a
law, which shall be known as the
Defence Law, shall be enacted giving
power to the person specified therein
to take such actions and measures as
may be necessary, including the
suspension of the operation of the ordinary laws of the State.
with a view to
ensuring the defence of the Kingdom.
The Defence Law shall come into force
upon its proclamation by a Royal
Decree to be issued on the basis of a
decision of the Council of Ministers.
Article 125.
(i) In the event of an emergency of
such a serious nature that action
under the preceding Article of the
present Constitution will be
considered insufficient for the
defence of the Kingdom, the King
may by a Royal Decree, based on a
decision of the Council of Ministers.
declare martial law In the
whole or any part of the Kingdom.
(ii) When martial law is declared, the
King may by a decree issue such
orders as may be necessary for the
defence of the Kingdom, not-withstanding the provisions of any
law in force. Persons charged with
the implementation of such orders
shall continue to he subject to
legal liability for all acts committed by them
under the provisiesns of any such laws until they
are relieved of such responsibility
by a special law to be enacted for
the purpose.
Article 126.
(i) The procedure prescribed in the
present Constitution with regard
to draft laws shall apply to any
draft law for the amendement of
this Constitution, provided that
any such amendment is passed by
a two-thirds majority of the
members of each of the Senate and
the Chamber of Deputies. In the
event of a joint meeting of the Senate and the Chamber
of Deputies in accordance with Article 92 of this Constitution,
the
amendment shall be passed by a
two-thirds majority of the members of both Houses,
provided
that in hoth cases the amendment
shall not come into force unless
ratified by the King.
(ii) No amendment of the Constitution
affecting the rights of the King and
the succession to lhe Throne may
be passed during the period of Regency.
Article 127. The duties of the Army shall be confined to the
defence of the Kingdom and its safety.
(i) Recruitment to the army. its organisation and
the rights and duties
of its personnel shall be defined by law.
(ii) The organisation of the police and
gendarmerie, including their
powers, shall be defined by law.
CHAPTER NINE
Enforcement and Repeal of Laws
Article 128. All laws, regulations and other legislative
acts in force in the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan on the date on
which this Constitution eomes into
force shall continue to be in force until
they are repealed or amended by the
legislation issued thereunder.
Article 129.
(i) The Constitution of Jordan issued
on the 7th December, 1946,
together with all amendments
thereto, are hereby repealed.
(ii) The Palestine Order-in-Council
for the Year 1922 and the
amendments thereto are hereby repealed.
(iii) The repeals referred to in the
preceding two paragraphs shall
not affect the validity or any law
or regulation made or act done
thereunder prior to the coming
into force of the provisions of the
present Constitution.
Article 130. The provisions of the present Constitution
shall come into force on the
date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
Article 131. The Council of Ministers shall be
charged with the execution of the
provisions of the present Constitution.
1/1/1952 Talal
Signatures
Tawfiq Abul Huda
Prime Minister and Minister ot Foreign Affairs
Sa'id El-Muftl
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
Mohammad Amin Shanqltl
Chief Justice
Ruhi Abdul Hadi
Minister of Education
Suleiman Sukkar
Minister of Commerce and Economy
Anestas Hanania
Minister of Justice, Development and Reconstruction
Jamil Tutunji
Minister of Health and Social Affairs
Hashem Jayousi
Minister of Communications
Suleiman Abdul Razzak Touqan
Minister of Agriculture and Defence
Abdul Halim Hmoud
Minister of Finance