As elections near, IEC keeps close watch on violations

AMMAN — The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Thursday said it had detected over 400 violations committed by individuals who plan to run for the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for November 10.

"Since the announcement of the elections, the IEC has dealt with 410 violations, including around 50 reported incidents related to financial irregularities, or what is termed as 'black money'," IEC Spokesperson Jihad Momani told The Jordan Times.

However, the IEC official was quick to point out that “currently, there are 16 cases that are being handled and investigated by the authorities”.

The financial irregularities, according to Momani, are practised mostly "by individuals planning to run in the elections who use social media to state that they are willing to offer money to buy votes".

The IEC had announced that elections to the 19th Parliament would be held on November 10, following a Royal decree in July directing the concerned authorities to hold parliamentary elections in accordance with the provisions of law. The Kingdom is divided into 23 constituencies. 

The IEC recently stressed that parliamentary elections will be held on time and all efforts are exerted to ensure the success of “this important democratic process in the smoothest and the most transparent manner, while ensuring the health, safety and security of the citizens".

Some of the procedures adopted, according to the IEC, included ensuring that voters will register based on their residency rather than where their family was residing so that voters will be able to cast their ballots at the nearest polling station of their residency.

The IEC has also studied all scenarios related to the COVID-19 crisis and has adopted all the necessary health procedures that would ensure the safety of voters, candidates along with the officials and others who will be working at the polling stations.

The measures include testing all the officials and other individuals who will be stationed at the polling centres for COVID-19 ahead of the elections to ensure that no one is tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as distributing pens to each voter for health and safety purposes.

In mid-September, His Majesty King Abdullah stressed the importance of taking all measures and precautions to safeguard public health and wellbeing during the upcoming electoral process.

At a teleconference meeting with the president and members of the IEC, King Abdullah emphasised the need for 
teamwork and coordination among all state institutions to guarantee the elections’ success, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty said the parliamentary elections are taking place during extraordinary circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, noting the magnitude of the responsibility shared by all.

The King expressed support for the IEC and confidence in its ability to administer the electoral process with the highest levels of integrity and transparency, commending measures taken by the commission to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.