His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday heard Parliament's replies to the Speech from the Throne, delivered on 28 November at the opening of the first ordinary session of the 16th Parliament.

In their separate replies, the two Houses of Parliament vowed “relentless efforts” to achieve comprehensive development and reform in cooperation with the government.

They also promised to work “transparently” to create a modern elections law that serves the political reform process and meets the expectations of Jordanians.

In their replies, members of the two chambers also stressed the importance of enhancing the role of the political parties and civil society organizations and giving attention to the youth and women's sectors.

Enhancing the independence of the judiciary, protecting public freedoms and the press, developing human resources and achieving fiscal and monetary stability were also highlighted in the replies as key national goals.

In addition, they voiced appreciation for the efforts of King Abdullah to defend the rights of the Palestinians and help them establish an independent state on their national soil with East Jerusalem as its capital.

They also commended the King's support for efforts to achieve peace, stability and national concord in Iraq.

Delivering the Senate's reply, the chamber's president Taher Masri said that the Upper House “will cooperate with the government and the Lower House to achieve political reform”, adding that lawmakers should start a thorough discussion of the temporary Elections Law.

Masri also indicated that the Senate will be committed to enhancing the professional, independent and impartial work of the media, saying that “justice, equal opportunity and boosting the middle class will be among the top priorities of the Senate”.

For his part, House Speaker Faisal Fayez said that the Lower House will work to establish a partnership with the government that is based on cooperation and coordination to serve the national interest and achieve the development process.

Fayez stressed the importance of supporting the education sector as a major pillar of the country's development, adding that this sector is “in dire need of comprehensive revision” that leads to the enhancement of teachers' living standards.

Several Royal family members, Prime Minister Samir Rifai and other senior officials attended the ceremony Wednesday.