Jordan’s Parliament descended into chaos when male MPs began fighting over female nouns.
The scuffle broke out between deputies and parliament speaker Abdelkarim al-Daghmi during a debate on an amendment adding the female noun for a Jordanian citizen, to a chapter in the constitution which would guarantee equal rights of all citizens.
But several MPs branded the amendment as “useless” during the heated debate in the House of Representatives, all of which was broadcast live on the Al-Mamlaka television channel.
Things further escalated when a row began between Deputy Suleiman Abu Yahya and parliament House Speaker Abdul Karim Dughmi when Mr Abu Yahya accused Mr Dughmi of being “unable to run the show” and claimed he knew “nothing”.
Mr Dughmi said: ‘”Shut up and leave the hall” in response and after a few moments walked out.
A short clip of the fight was posted on Twitter and has now been watched over 600,000 times.
People commenting on it noticed the female representatives watching the brawl unfold.
One said: “Notice the one lone elected woman who bravely stays and watches the school yard antics of her colleagues.”
Another added: “This brawl happened today in Jordanian Parliament!!! These men are elected Jordanian MPs!”
Someone else commented: “This is absolutely shocking. I have no words.”
It shows the MPs fighting and shoving one another, among many a pointed finger.
At one point, one of the deputies fell to the ground, and the session had to be abandoned and adjourned until tomorrow.
Among other constitutional reforms to be discussed are the creation of a “National Security Council”, and the halving of the house speaker’s mandate to one year from the current two-year terms.
The kingdom’s constitution, introduced in 1952, has been amended 29 times, with the monarch’s powers increasing at the expense of the legislature, according to experts.