Amman, July 16 (Petra) -- The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Thursday named Bakr Kasasbeh as the next eligible candidate to fill the vacant parliamentary seat in Aqaba's local electoral district following the loss of MP Hassan Riyati's membership after a final court ruling sentenced him to two years in prison.

The commission said in a statement that it officially responded to a letter from the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament regarding the vacancy, identifying Kasasbeh, a candidate from the Islamic Action Front Party, now known as the Nation Party, as the next eligible candidate on the party's electoral list in Aqaba based on the number of votes received. The commission said it received the speaker's letter on July 14 notifying it that the seat had become vacant following the final court ruling against Riyati.

Under Article 75 of the Constitution, the ruling results in the forfeiture of Riyati's parliamentary membership and the vacancy of his seat. The commission noted that Article 10 of the Lower House of Parliament Election Law outlines the eligibility requirements for parliamentary membership, including that candidates must not have been sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year for a non-political crime.

//Petra// AJ