Speakership elections
Due to political reasons, I believe that the government must refrain from taking part in the speakership elections and be completely neutral. Talking about ministers’ constitutional right to vote is futile for the same reasons. They can also abstain from voting, which is purely an unquestionable constitutional practice. The government’s neutrality in the speakership elections primarily protects it and the principle of separation between the legislative and executive authorities. Since 1963, the government’s role has raised so many questions, and minister’s voting has frequently been used in the opposite direction of the legislative authority’s tendencies. Moreover, it is meant to strike parliamentary majorities.
On the other hand, a parliamentarian who wins the speakership through ministers’ votes remains indebted to the government and may direct the entire parliament according to the government’s wishes. The government’s neutrality is a must in order to show more respect to the people’s will, through which 50 members were elected and authorized to act on people’s behalf. This became very clear in the recent elections when over 70 percent of voters took part. In addition, the recent election being the seventh in 13 years, the government was the only one responsible for dissolving the parliament or for running unconstitutional elections, which led to annulling the parliaments of 2012 and 2013. Voters were furious about the 2013 parliament’s performance and described it as the government’s parliament because it was too peaceful, fawning, and passed all the government’s projects without discussion or hesitation. It was also responsible for committing unprecedented constitutional violations to protect the prime minister and cabinet members from political accountability through writing off grilling motions. The message was clear and the election results opened new horizons for restoring the parliament’s prestige and status, which proves that the government no longer acts as a guardian to the parliament on its sessions.
Moreover, asking Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak to form the new cabinet itself is considered as a potential political crisis. He and his cabinet members’ participation in the speakership elections might create a confrontation about it soon.