Jordanians are voting on Tuesday to elect a new parliament, as the Gaza war continues to cast its shadow on the kingdom’s politics, security and economy.
More than 5 million people are registered to elect the 138 members of the House of Representatives.
The elections are the first to be held under the 2022 reforms aimed at attracting more voters, more female candidates, and strengthening political parties, in a country where tribal allegiances play a major role in the social and political systems.
Earlier this year, King Abdullah said he wants this election to be ‘a major milestone in the history of Jordanian parliamentary life.’
The reforms have increased total seats, allocated 41 of them for political party lists and stipulated that each list must include at least one candidate aged 35 or younger among the first five candidates.
In the previous parliament, lawmakers were largely not officially affiliated with political parties and aligned with the king’s decisions.
This year, some analysts expect Isl
amists to win more seats than the last polls as they aim to capitalize on public anger towards Israel. Jordan has seen regular protests in the past year against the Gaza war, many of them led by Islamists.
Jordan has also been concerned about developments in the West Bank, and recently warned that any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians into Jordanian territory would be considered a ‘declaration of war.’
Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, becoming the second country, after Egypt, to establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. Many people often describe the situation as a ‘cold peace’ and anger has increased since the Gaza war began.
Source: Ghana News Agency