Jordan has entered a new era following the parliamentary elections, the first to be held under a newly amended constitution and according to a new legislation of "one person, one vote" and of "proportional representation."
Although the Islamic movement, the strongest political group in the kingdom, called for boycotting the elections, the vote drew a record 1,518 candidates competing over 150 seats. It brought 30 percent of new lawmakers to the new parliament, and new parties emerged, such as the Centrist Islamic party.
Jordan's new government now should be formed in consultation with the elected parliament, in what observers see as a prelude to a "parliamentary monarchy" political system.
The constitutional change:
The last constitutional changes of 2011 were the biggest in history, touching 39 out 131 items, covering many aspects of the political life, including the right to prosecute ministers in civil courts and the establishment of the "constitutional court."
The amendments widened the margin of freedom by ending the sentence of stopping the publishing of newspapers and similar sentences to mass media, in addition to protecting personal freedoms such as forbidding arbitrary arrest and torture.
The Election law
The new Election law allows voters two votes: one for a district representative (out of 123 seats) and one for national-level lists (out of 27 seats). Additionally, the new law increases the number of seats for female candidates from 12 to 15, and allows members of the Jordanian security forces to vote for the first time.
The New Law of 2012 seeks to put an end to "vote buying" practices.
The Parties' law
In June 7, 2012, three weeks before the Election law, the parties' law No.16 was published, banning creating any party on "religious, sectarian, factious or racial basis." The law constituted a challenge to the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The political map in Jordan
Nine out 23 licensed parties succeeded in joining the 17th parliament, which draws the power map as follows:
- The tribes: they managed to obtain the majority in the parliament.
- The Islamic movement: by boycotting the elections, the Islamic Action Front and three other opposition parties are not represented in the new parliament.
- The Islamic Centrist party: it surprised observers by winning the majority of national-level seats, and the majority of seats allocated to political parties. In the same category we can enlist "the Arab Islamic Democratic movement".
- The leftist parties: most of them are in the opposition, and their candidates usually succeed through their tribes not through their political programs.
The political representation in the parliament:
With the boycott of four parties: the Islamic Action Front, the popular Unity party, the communist party, Al-Hayat Jordanian party, and while four other parties didn't present any candidates, 15 parties have practically participated in the elections.
Nine parties reached the parliament, in small groups, 7 of them won at the national level, 2 in local districts on the one person, one vote basis.
Six other parties failed to bring any candidate to the parliament.
The Islamic Middle Party is the biggest block in the parliament, with 16 seats, which represents 11 percent of the total number of seats.
The Jordan Unified Front made a second surprise when it won eight seats and became the second block. It won one seat at the national-level and seven seats in local districts, and this is a political party representing a group of activists willing to participate in the political life without being part of the opposition.
The other parties won one seat each.
09 Mar, 2013
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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/09/Jordan-s-post-election-political-map.html
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