Almotamar.net - In its extraordinary session on Thursday, Yemen’s parliament has accepted the request for extending the term of the present parliament for a period of two years. The request was submitted Wednesday by more than 120 members of parliament from the parliamentary blocs of the General People’s Congress GPC, the opposition Joint Meeting Parties JMP and the independent.

Two-hundred MPs voted in favour of accepting the request of amending the article 65 of the Yemeni constitution that defines the parliament tenure to six years. The move allows for extending the present parliament term for additional two years. Two MPs from the GPC bloc and one independent MP abstained from voting in favour.

MP Sultan al-Atwani, Secretary General of the Nasserite Unionist Organisation and chair of its parliamentary bloc, the Chairman of the Higher Council of the JMP has earlier read out the extension request. The request justified the move by allowing opportunity for political parties and civil society organisations to discuss necessary constitutional amendments for developing the political system in Yemen and elections, including the proportional representation list. It is also aimed to enable the parties represented in the parliament to finalize the topics delayed during preparation of amendments of the electoral law before the date of 18 of last August and to include what would be agreed on in the body of the law , in addition to re-form the Supreme Commission for Elections.

The parliament referred the extension request to a special committee. The committee is composed of Deputy Speaker of the parliament for Legislative and Monitoring Affairs Akram Attiya, as chairman and the membership of Head of the GPC parliamentary bloc Sultan al-Barakani, Dr Abdulrahman Bafadl, head of the Islah party bloc, Dr Aydarous al-Naqeeb, head of the Yemen Socialist Party bloc, Sultan al-Attwani, head of the Nasserite Unionist Organisation bloc, Ali Abidrabeh al-Qadi, head of the independent MPs bloc. Other members of the committee are Ali Abu Hlaiqa, Chairman of Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Mohammed bin Naji al-Shaef, Chairman of Public Freedoms and Human Rights Committee , Abdulmalik al-Wazeer , Chairman of Legalization of Islamic Law Teachings Committee , Dr Ghalib al-Qarrashi , Chairman of Justice and Endowments Committee , and Abdullah Hairan , the reporter of Justice Committee in addition to members from the Constitutional Committee, the MPs Abduleazaq al-Hajri , Naji Ateeq, Sinan al-Aji and Hamad al-Khawlani.

According to legal measures, it is scheduled that the committee would present its report to the parliament in two months from today Thursday for the final voting on it with agreement of three quarters of the parliament members.