Speaker of House of Representatives Holds Meeting with Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and Relations with Parliament and Chairpersons of Parliamentary Groups and Caucus on Monday, October 19th, 2020

As part of the cooperation and concertation between the House of Representatives and the Government, Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki held a meeting with the Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and Relations with the Parliament, and the chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus.

At the start of the meeting, Speaker of the House Habib El Malki and the House components affirmed the importance of such consultative meetings with the Government, represented by Minister of State Mustapha Ramid, which would help in opening a deep debate on the concerns of the members of the House regarding the parliamentary bills they elaborate to reinforce the legal arsenal of our country and address different social, economic, human rights, and environmental issues.

During the same meeting, Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki recalled the Minister of State's positive parliamentary record, considering it a valuable asset to consolidating the cooperation ties with the Government. The House components affirmed this vision, expressing their aspiration for the legislative initiatives made by the House members to get the attention they deserve within the Government agenda, especially during the monthly meeting devoted to parliamentary bills, according to Article 23 of the Organic Law on Organizing the Government Action and the Legal Status of its Members.

The chairpersons of the parliamentary groups and caucus gave during the meeting presentations on the initiatives they proposed, which amount to 209 bills, noting their importance and the limited number of bills that were approved by the Government during this term (13 bills); a number that does not meet the aspirations of the components considering the efficiency of the legal approach in addressing several social and economic issues.

Besides, the participants reviewed the new provisions included in the 2011 Constitution, particularly its Article 82 that stipulates devoting at least one plenary sitting per month to examine parliamentary bills, including the ones proposed by the opposition, an appointment that should be respected and abided by in respect for the constitutional provisions.

For his part, the Minister of State in Charge of Human Rights and the Relations to the Parliament expressed through this meeting his concern and consideration to support this legitimate ambition and his esteem for the efforts of the House members in launching legislative initiatives. In the same respect, he confirmed that the Government accords special attention to parliamentary bills in its regular meetings, noting that it has already decided regarding several bills, including fifteen ones that cover different sectors. The Minister of State stated that the Government would pursue its cooperation with the House to reach the goals aspired by the nation's representatives together.

As part of implementing operational measures, the participants have decided that the House will devote one sitting to parliamentary bills on the last Tuesday of each month starting from November and provide the parliamentary groups and caucus with all the necessary means to help them perform their legislative and control tasks.

Additionally, the participants recalled the importance of the guides issued by the House regarding legal drafting as an assistance tool, in addition to the Parliamentary Center for Research and Studies, created lately within the House of Representatives, and which abilities the House has lately enhanced through hiring qualified people that assist the House members in studies, research, and consultation.