Al-Fayez chairs the Senate in the third ordinary session following his reappointment by Royal Decree
Amman4 min read
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The Senate begins the work of the third ordinary session of the 20th Parliament on Monday, chaired by Faisal Al-Fayez, following the issuance of a Royal Decree reappointing him as President of the Senate effective October 25, 2026, while Abdullah Ensour holds the position of First Deputy President, and Hani Mulki holds the position of Second Deputy.
Two Royal Decrees were issued on October 8; the first included the appointment of Faisal Akef Al-Fayez as President of the Senate effective October 25, while the second included the appointment of Yassin Mueeb "Mohammed Ali" Al-Khayyat as a member of the Senate effective October 8.
Al-Fayez's appointment comes before His Majesty King Abdullah II inaugurates the third ordinary session of Parliament with the Speech from the Throne before both houses of Parliament convened, following the postponement of the session's opening date to November 2, 2026.
Leadership of the Senate
The Senate's Permanent Bureau witnessed changes during the first extraordinary session in July 2026, following the resignation of Senator Samir Rifai from the Council's membership, who held the position of First Deputy President.
In its session held on July 14, 2026, chaired by Faisal Al-Fayez, the Senate elected former Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour as First Deputy President, succeeding Samir Rifai, and also elected former Prime Minister Hani Mulki as Second Deputy President, succeeding Ensour.
The election of Ensour and Mulki came to fill the vacant positions in the Permanent Bureau, in accordance with the Senate's internal bylaws.
The Council's Permanent Bureau was formed in November 2024 for a two-year term, chaired by Faisal Al-Fayez, with the membership of Samir Rifai as First Deputy, Abdullah Ensour as Second Deputy, and Suhair Al-Ali and Zuhair Abu Fares as assistants to the President.
Paragraph (e) of Article 6 of the Senate's internal bylaws states that if the Council meets in an extraordinary session and one of the Permanent Bureau's seats is vacant, the Council shall elect a member to occupy that seat, and the term of the elected member shall continue until the end of the Permanent Bureau's term.
Appointment of the President and election of deputies
The formation of the Senate's leadership differs from that of the House of Representatives in terms of the method of choosing the President and the duration of their term, as His Majesty the King appoints the President of the Senate, while the House of Representatives elects its Speaker at the beginning of every ordinary session.
Article 36 of the Jordanian Constitution states that the King appoints the members of the Senate and appoints the President of the Senate from among them, and accepts their resignations.
Under Article 65 of the Constitution, the term of membership in the Senate is four years, the appointment of members is renewed every four years, and those whose term has ended may be reappointed.
The term of the President of the Senate is two years, and they may be reappointed, unlike the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who is elected for one calendar year at the start of each ordinary session, with the possibility of being re-elected, in accordance with Article 69 of the Constitution.
Article 63 of the Constitution states that the Senate, including its President, shall consist of a number not exceeding half the number of the House of Representatives, which comprises 138 deputies, making the maximum number of Senate members 69.
The Senates and the House of Representatives in the third session
Article 62 of the Constitution states that Parliament consists of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives, while Article 66 states that the Senate meets when the House of Representatives meets, and the sessions are the same for both houses.
After the inauguration of the third ordinary session with the Speech from the Throne, both the Senate and the House of Representatives hold their first sessions to complete the organizational procedures related to the work of the new session.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives present an independent response to the Speech from the Throne, in accordance with Article 79 of the Jordanian Constitution.
In the second ordinary session, which opened on October 26, 2025, the Senate elected a committee of five members to prepare the response to the Speech from the Throne, before approving it and submitting it to His Majesty the King.
During the third session, the Senate begins its legislative work, which includes discussing draft laws received from the House of Representatives, and approving or amending them in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
