Regime Loyalists Win Elections in Jordan

Jordanians Cynical as Muslim Brotherhood Boycotts

ZARQA, JORDAN: Abdul Rahman, a 48- year old school teacher, looks from his balcony with amusement at voters entering a nearby polling station to choose Jordan‘s new parliament. He chose to sip coffee rather than go vote.

"I never considered voting, despite the promise by King Abdullah of fair and free polls," he told The Media Line. "The parliaments have been, and will always be, under the control of the King and his people. Each time they say free elections, the government later admits to rigging the elections," he added cynically.

This small country of just 5.6 million people is facing a growing financial crisis. Gas prices are rising and rumors that government-subsidized bread prices will rise have set off demonstrations.

Officials here worked hard to get people to vote, telling them the elections would be an important step on this pro-Western monarchy’s road to democracy. The ballot was the first here since the Arab Spring, which has mostly bypassed Jordan, began two years ago.

More than 1400 candidates competed for 108 individual seats and 27 reserved for party lists. Another 15 seats are reserved for women.

The turnout was higher than expected, 56.8 percent according to the Independent Election Commission. Early results show the winners as a mix of former parliament members, businessmen, and independents.

Jordan‘s King Abdullah hailed the elections as an important marker of reform because the parliament will now be able to choose the prime minister. The parliament will also be responsible for running day-to-day affairs in the kingdom, although the King will still have control over security and foreign policy.

But what makes many Jordanians feel that this election will not make any difference is the boycott by the Muslim Brotherhood. It’s political wing, the Islamic Action Front object to the election system, saying it favors tribal and rural areas, which tend to be more pro-government, over the cities.

During the voting, dozens of clashes between supporters of rival candidates and burning of polling stations, were reported, said security sources.

Organized vote buying was also reported in several districts where key government loyalists were running, according to eye witnesses and observers.

Shopkeeper Abu Jehad said voting is mainly about family and business interest.

"People are no longer interested in politics,” he told The Media Line. “All candidates are the same — they give big promises and disappear after polls," the 66 year old man said from behind his shop counter. He said most people have little interest in the elections and believe they are corrupt.

Authorities have struggled to gain public confidence following a series of blunders in running previous polls.

Vote buying and interference from security forces in results marred the past two elections of 2008 and 2010.

This time, an independent commission was set up for to run the elections, but the new body faced a daunting task to distance itself from the government.

"We are not the government. We are independent and our procedures are in line with international standards. It is very difficult to manipulate voting," spokesman of the Independent Election Commission Hussein Bani Hani told the Media Line.

The Islamist movement said the elections would not end the political crisis between the palace and opposition groups. The group also accused authorities of exaggerating voting rates to legitimize the elections.

"This is a drama that ended in total failure. Official numbers about voting are false. Participation in the polls was low," the Islamic Action Front (IAF) said in a statement posted on its website.

Former Islamist MP Musa Wahsh said the election process is dubious from start.

"The government and its security forces have been working for months to manipulate the results. Several machines for printing identification cards have gone missing from the civil affairs department," Wahsh told the Media Line.

He said authorities mobilized the army and security forces to vote and charged that soldiers and security personnel given multiple identification cards to vote several times.

Activist Mohammad Khalaf al Hadid described the elections as "political comedy" executed by the authorities.

"The royal court sent a list of 70 candidates it wanted to win. They asked security forces to vote for them. We have proof on video that security forces voted without using ink," he told the Media Line. After casting a ballot, the voter’s finger is dipped in long-lasting ink to ensure he cannot vote again.

Hadid said he expects "major political turmoil in the coming months as distance between authorities and the people grows."

Demonstrations in Jordan have been relatively benign compared to those in North Africa that uprooted regimes that ruled in similar fashion. But over the past few months, protests have escalated from demands for reform to calls to topple the regime.

The Islamist movement distanced itself from those calling for the ouster of King Abdullah, but remains adamant that his power must be lessened.