Voters in Jordan began casting their ballots today to elect their 20th parliament, with 1,634 candidates competing.
The Jordanian News Agency, Petra, reported that “the number of voters entitled to participate in the elections is approximately 5,115,219 voters registered in the final records of the electoral districts, while the number of polling stations is 1,649.”
According to the agency, “the electoral district system divided all of Jordan’s regions into 18 local electoral districts, in which candidates obtain 97 seats, while the candidate lists compete within a general electoral district at the country level for 41 seats, bringing the total number of seats in the new parliament to 138.”
According to Ammon News Agency, “697 male and female candidates ran for the general list, within party lists and party alliances, including 505 males and 192 females, while the number of candidates in local constituencies reached 937 male and female candidates, including 747 male candidates and 190 females. The number of lists that applied for candidacy reached 172 lists at the level of local constituencies, while the number of lists running for the general party constituency reached 25 lists.”
These elections are the first in the country, following the constitutional amendments approved by the Jordanian Parliament in January 2022, to the election and party laws. The elections, for which 1,634 male and female candidates are running for local and national constituencies across the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, are being held under the supervision of the Independent Election Commission. The ballot boxes will close at 7:00 pm, without any extension, in accordance with the House of Representatives Election Law No. 4 of 2022. The counting will begin immediately after the ballot boxes are closed, while the results will be announced within 48 hours after the ballot boxes are closed.
“More than 61 organizations are monitoring the electoral process, with a total of about 700 observers affiliated with international monitoring missions and entities representing embassies and international organizations operating in Jordan, as guest international observers, independent local, Arab and international monitoring institutions, and bodies affiliated with regional and international organizations with experience in monitoring elections in countries around the world.”
It is noteworthy that the Parliament in Jordan is divided into two parts: the Senate, which is appointed by the King, and the elected House of Representatives. The Senate, including the President, consists of a number not exceeding half the number of the House of Representatives, and the King appoints the members and the President directly, according to the Constitution.
Last April, Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for parliamentary elections for the 20th parliament, and the Independent Election Commission set September 10, 2024 as the date.
The last parliamentary elections were held in 2020 with the participation of 1,674 candidates, under exceptional measures, as the country was under the influence of the Corona pandemic that spread in the world at the time.
Last updated: September 10, 2024 – 10:01
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2024-09-12 09:07:30