4,918,772 citizens eligible to vote in upcoming Parliamentary elections — IEC

AMMAN — The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Tuesday said that a total of 4,918,772 citizens are eligible to vote in the upcoming Parliamentary elections.

The IEC stated that 53 per cent of registered voters are women, according to the government entity’s website.

The IEC also stated that 110,446 citizens did not obtain national identification cards.

Amman topped the number of voters with 1,888,953, followed by Irbid (870,939), then Zarqa (705,725). 

Last week, the IEC published an updated voters' list based on their residency stating that voters can “amend their place of residency by submitting the necessary documents that prove their new residency”.

In 2022, the Senate and the Lower House passed the 2022 amendments to the Political Parties Law, which require political parties to increase the percentage of women and youth to at least 20 per cent within three years after their foundation.

There should be no less than 1,000 founding members of political parties, and at least 10 per cent should be women and young people between 18 and 35 years old, according to the new law. 

The law also allows university students who join political parties to engage in partisan activities on campus without any infringement on their rights, as a bylaw will be issued to regulate such activities. 

It also stipulates that a founding conference shall be held by the party within a year after meeting the requirements, where no less than a third of the party’s 1,000 founders shall attend, and must represent at least six governorates.   

The Political Parties Law, along with the Elections Law, has been revisited by the Royal Committee to Modernise the Political System as part of its mandate to achieve the envisioned political reform.

On February 27, His Majesty King Abdullah met with the IEC Chief Commissioner Musa Maaytah at Al Husseiniya Palace and stated that Jordan is confidently forging ahead in modernisation and building active partisan life.

King Abdullah highlighted the role of young Jordanians as major drivers of modernisation, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty urged devising a clear strategy to dispel doubt and hesitation among young people and ensure their active engagement in political and partisan life.

The King called for enhancing cooperation with universities, and capitalising on the recently endorsed bylaw to organise partisan activism in higher education institutions.