Jordan prepares for elections, Islamists threaten boycott
Jordan, Politics, 6/16/2003

Jordanians are preparing to take part in the parliamentary elections which will be held next Tuesday. In contrary to previous elections which were boycotted by main opposition forces, especially the Islamic Labor Front, these forces are taking part in the elections, despite the continued enforcement of the "one vote system," which limits a person's vote to one's area, which had prompted these forces to boycott the previous election.

Although the Islamic movement is taking part with 30 candidates within the framework of competing for the Parliament's seats, however, the Islamic Labor Work Party "Hizb Jabhit al-Amal al-Islami" threatens to boycott the elections. Analysts considers that this party which boycotted the previous elections in 1997 cannot continue to be outside the parliament this time.

Former Jordanian prime minister Taher al-Masri said that the general public situation does not show an enthusiasm in the lines of the voters because of the current political conditions in Iraq, and in the occupied territories, and the general Arab feelings of frustration over the inability of the Arab states to defend its interest. Some 2.35 million Jordanians out of 5 million are eligible to vote in the elections of the parliament which was dissolved by the Jordanian King Abdullah II in June 2001. Since then, no elections had been held.

The Jordanian official news agency Petra said that the final number of candidates to the next elections reached 765 competing for 110 seats in the parliament, of which 6 are allotted to women. The agency explained that more that 800 persons submitted their nomination applications in the beginning for a parliamentary session of four year period, but many of them withdrew these nominations in the past days, and the final number of candidates is 765.

However, these elections are of special importance because it is the first under the rule of King Abdullah II since he assumed power in Jordan in 1999, because the Islamic parties decided to join it, and because these elections come after the invasion of Iraq and the announcement of the ME peace proposal, better known the Roadmap in the occupied territories and bloody internal events like those that took place of Maan city.

Previous Stories:
  Iraqi ambassador in Amman refuses to return back home   (6/14/2003)
  Jordan: Islamists and the Palace rearrange cooperations   (6/13/2003)
  Jordan: Legislative elections, a test for the role of woman   (6/12/2003)

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