Back to parliament
Jordan's parliamentary elections held few surprises. Lola Keilani reports from Amman
Last week's parliamentary elections in Jordan assured King Abdullah II of a smooth legislative process, although a showing by Islamists and leftists promised fiery debates while also contributing to the legitimacy of the law-making body.
Forty of the 110 seats were won by tribal leaders loyal to the king, while 22 were taken by his staunch supporters, including former legislators and ministers. The main Islamist group, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), won only 18 seats, but the group could count on another eight to 10 parliamentarians to support its causes on a case-by-case basis.
The announcement that elections would be held, thereby ending a two-year hiatus to parliamentary life, came just two weeks after the fall of Baghdad on 9 April, raising questions about whether US pressures for greater democracy played a role in the decision to reactivate democratic life.
The election marks the return of the IAF to elections, having boycotted the contests since 1997 over King Hussein's reforming of the electoral system in 1993, whereby the slate system was scrapped in favour of one based on voting for a single candidate. The IAF at the time claimed that the system diluted its support. The IAF's participation this time round suggests that it had decided that limited representation in the legislature was better than none at all.
Beyond a poor showing in the elections, the IAF is also contending with the victory by recently expelled party member Sheikh Abdul- Monem Abu Zant who won more votes than any of the 765 candidates running for seats. The IAF had expelled Abu Zant who insisted on running for office after the party did not choose him as one of its 30 candidates.
The influence that will be wielded by the IAF, which is opposed to the kingdom's 1994 peace treaty with Israel and close ties with the US, remains a wild card, particularly when the legislature comes to vote on matters requiring support of two thirds of the elected body. What is clear, though, is that the coming parliamentary session will be a decisive one, as legislators will be charged with voting on 175 temporary laws enacted by the government during the two-year suspension of parliament.
Beyond the IAF's reservations over the structure of the electoral system, it has accused the government of rigging the contests -- charges the government has called baseless and for which it has challenged the Islamist Party to provide evidence for.
The elections also saw the entry of six women to the lower house, one of them an IAF candidate. Under a quota system, the top six female candidates are eligible for seats in parliament. None of the 54 women who ran won a seat outright through receiving a majority of votes cast.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 26 June - 2 July 2003 (Issue No. 644)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/644/re6.htm