Jordan goes to elections today

Jordanians will head to polling stations today to elect their new parliament in the first elections in the Kingdom in six years.

However, regional developments, which had delayed the elections, are casting their shadows on the voters' mood as they lack enthusiasm towards the elections.

"The general atmosphere outside Jordan has an affect on the elections," Barea Naqsha-bandi, professor of women's studies at the University of Jordan told Gulf News, in reference to the voters "apathy" toward the elections.

The Jordanian parliament was dissolved in June 2001, after end of its four-year term. But the elections were postponed more than once because of the unstable situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Occupied Territories and Iraq.

Regional developments and internal issues were the focus of the campaign. Banners highlighting such issues were raised on roads and intersections in the Kingdom throughout the campaign.

The cost of the campaigns was estimated at JD. 15 million ($ 21.5 million). The campaign boosted many sectors like media, advertisement, printing, transportation, sweet shops and restaurants, according to local reports.

Yet, it added, the amount is two million dinars less than the money spent in 1997 elections despite the fact that the number of seats was increased from 80 to 110.

The reason was attributed to lack of enthusiasm towards the elections, which comes after the war on Iraq and the people's frustration with the developments in Iraq and the Palestinian territories, local reports and political analysts said.

While some analysts said the shortage of credible candidates also played a role, some others, including Naqshabandi, believed the high number of candidates, especially females, is "a positive sign".

Nearly 765 candidates, including 54 women, are in the race for 110 seats in Parliament. The number of female candidates is, by far, the highest since the 1989 elections, and came as a result of allocating six seats for women in parliament.

Among those in the race are 30 candidates from the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Moslem Brotherhood in Jordan, which had boycotted the last elections along with some opposition parties to protest the controversial one-person, one vote system.

"Our reasons for participating this time are more than those of boycotting," Hamza Mansour, Secretary General of the IAF, told Gulf News, though this election is being held under the same old system.

"The decision of taking part in the polls was taken in light of the decline in public liberties, and temporary laws in addition to the regional factors that include the occupation of Iraq, and the American dominance on the region," added Mansour.

However, those who boycotted last elections felt they have to play a role in the decision-making process, and realised that boycotting the elections was reflected negatively on them and their roles, political analysts pointed out.

The Islamic movement won 22 and 16 seats in the 1989 and 1993 elections respectively.