politics in middle east : Voter turnout in Jordan election 56 percent after polls close

Voter turnout in Jordan election 56 percent after polls close

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

A man casts his ballot at a polling station in Amman Jan. 23, 2013. Jordanians voted on Wednesday in their first parliamentary elections since the Arab Spring revolts, but a boycott by the main Islamist party will ensure no repeat of an Egypt-style revolution via the ballot box. (Reuters)
By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES

Voter turnout in Jordan’s first parliamentary election since the Arab uprisings reached 56 percent after polls closed Wednesday evening, Al Arabiya TV reported, quoting the Independent Election Commission.

Polls closed at 17:00 GMT after a one-hour extension, and the Independent Election Commission

head Abdul Ilah Khatib said the vote count had started and that final results and turnout will be announced on Thursday.

The Muslim Brotherhood questioned the extent of voter participation.

"The turnout is very weak. The figures announced by the government are not accurate. The accurate turnout was around 16.7 percent at 3:00 pm (1200 GMT)," the group said after the government announced a 31.8-percent turnout at that time.

"There are several violations in the process, including vote buying and fake voter cards. We have information that security agencies have a scheme to increase turnout."

The Islamists and the National Reform Front of former premier and intelligence chief Ahmad Obeidat boycotted, arguing there was no real will to reform.

Analysts say tribal leaders, other pro-regime figures and independent businessmen are set to sweep the polls in the country of 6.8 million people.

Jordan, a U.S.-backed monarchy, has seen large protests against corruption and criticising King Abdullah, though not on the scale of those that toppled rulers in Egypt and Tunisia and led to civil wars in Libya and Syria.

"God willing, these elections will produce a good parliament that will consider the needs of the citizens. We hope this parliament will be better than the previous one," said Iskandar Nuqul, a voter in Amman's first electoral district.

The king remains for many citizens the ultimate guarantor of stability in Jordan, whose neighbours include Israel, civil-war torn Syria, and an Iraq also riven by sectarian strife.

The political elite is wary of the Arab revolts and the rise of Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood - Jordan's most popular party - with its demand for deep political reform.

Poorer Jordanians of Palestinian origin - a majority of the population - are drawn to the Brotherhood, which has become the champion of the disenfranchised. A wealthy Palestinian business elite mostly does not vote.


source:
english.alarabiya.net

politics in middle east "Jordanians begin parliament vote boycotted by Islamists"

Jordanians begin parliament vote boycotted by Islamists

Wednesday, 23 January 2013

Pro-reform protests took place across the kingdom during the past months; a combination of youths and Islamists have been demanding sweeping political and economic reforms. (Reuters)
By AL ARABIYA WITH AFP

Polling stations across Jordan opened Wednesday in a parliament vote taking place for the first time since mass protests in the wake of the Arab Spring.

The elections are being boycotted by Islamists who have already labeled them as illegitimate. The move is unprecedented for what is expected to be an opposition-free parliament.

Pro-reform protests took place across the Hashemite kingdom during the past months; a combination of youths and Islamists have been demanding sweeping political and economic reforms.

The powerful Muslim Brotherhood and the National Reform Front of former premier and intelligence chief Ahmad Obeidat are staying away from the polls, which opened for 12 hours from 7:00 am (04:00 GMT).

But the election “will add to problems instead of solving them, particularly under the boycott. We will see a parliament that does not have political weight,” analyst Oraib Rintawi, at the Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies head, told AFP.

King Abdullah II has said that he plans for the first time to consult with MPs before naming prime ministers, insisting on Jordan’s need to create strong political parties to help pave the way for parliamentary governments.

But the Islamists say there is no real will to reform.

“Our boycott was the right decision because a parliament or government that is imposed on people is illegitimate,” said Zaki Bani Rsheid, the Brotherhood’s deputy leader.

The Islamists won only six seats in the 2007 election but wield considerable influence on society.

King Abdullah has urged people to take part, calling the boycott “a tremendous miscalculation,” and Wednesday has been declared a national holiday to encourage the 2.3 million registered voters to turn out.

The polls come as Jordan faces acute economic problems, including a $5-billion (3.6-billion-euro) budget deficit, and challenges in coping with more than 300,000 Syrian refugees who have fled their war-torn country.

source:

english.alarabiya.net