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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 July 1999 Issue No. 438
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters King Abdullah's litmus test
By Lola KeilaniThe municipal elections being held for the first time in Jordan following King Abdullah's accession to the throne are seen by opposition parties as a test of the government's democratic intentions.
"These elections will be a litmus test for the government's credibility and an indication of its intentions vis-á-vis the next general parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in 2001," said Nael Zeyydan Masalha, head of the Islamic Action Front's (IAF) higher committee for the municipal elections. The results of the elections will be announced today (Thursday).
Prime Minister Abdul-Ra'ouf Rawabdeh has promised that the elections would be free and democratic, but opposition parties are keeping a close eye on administrative behaviour during the poll. A leading Islamist figure, Abdullah Akayleh, accused the government-appointed governor of Zarqa of lobbying in favour of certain candidates against the Muslim Brotherhood's list. "We will boycott the elections at the first sign of [government] tampering with the poll," warned the IAF in a statement.
Though the campaigning process has so far passed off without major incident, the main concern being expressed by opposition parties is the potential for vote rigging by pro-government officials.
The IAF led a boycott of the 1997 general elections in protest against Jordan's ties with Israel. It also protested the lack of progress in the democratic process and the enactment of legislation it considered unconstitutional. Both the IAF and the leftist parties cautioned the government against interference in the municipal elections.
But Prince Faysal, currently the regent, who met with the kingdom's governors ahead of the elections, stressed the importance of holding the poll within a responsible and democratic climate. Faysal said that the elections were being held in accordance with the expressed wish of King Abdullah II, who is determined that Jordan's democratisation process should move forward.
Tribal connections remain the main consideration in determining the power base of candidates in areas outside Amman. Opposition political parties said they would be looking for tribal support for their candidates. This is no easy task in governorates where the majority of residents are East Bank Jordanians. There, the political parties are bound to lose ground to "traditional" candidates backed by their respective tribes.
The IAF announced that it has fielded 70 candidates in seven municipalities outside the capital and 10 in Amman itself. The joint committee of 13 leftist, Baathist and Pan-Arabist parties are unwilling openly to disclose the exact number of candidates running.
In the campaigning days ahead of the election, the rallying cry has been "the need for change", the words boldly painted across street banners that could be seen throughout the Kingdom.
Tawfiq Kreishan, minister of municipal and rural affairs, said that in the last and final count, around 1,042,00 people had registered to vote. He added that 1,119 candidates will vie for the 304 municipal headships and 4,122 others will compete for the 2,530 municipal seats in Jordan's 12 governorates, which have a total population of 4.8 million.
