IEC refers three party members to prosecutor over pay-to-run allegations

AMMAN — The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) on Thursday referred three political party members to the general prosecutor in connection with allegations made by a member that he decided to withdraw because the party asked him to pay to run for the upcoming elections.

“The IEC received information that a man who represents the youth in a political party decided not to run because his political party asked him to pay money to be able to compete in the upcoming elections,” the IEC Spokesperson Mohammad Kheir Rawashdeh said.

Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times that the young man posted on social media platforms that he decided to withdraw because “the amount that he is required to pay is not part of the donations”.

The IEC official said that the commission also referred to WhatsApp conversations allegedly documenting the chat regarding the financial part between the young man and some of the political party members.

The general prosecutor will question the three men, including the secretary general of the political party about the allegations, according to Rawashdeh.

Meanwhile, the IEC stated in a press statement that 918 violations related to campaign advertisements have been registered so far. 

The IEC set the Parliamentary elections for September 10. 

On April 24, His Majesty King Abdullah ordered the holding of the elections for the House of Representatives, by the law. 

IEC officials have recently said that the expected number of voters in the upcoming parliamentary will reach 5 million. 

Officials have also said that the IEC will work to facilitate polling stations with equipment that would suit people with physical disabilities to facilitate their participation in the electoral process. 

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 the party shall hold a founding conference 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.

During a visit in late April to the IEC, King Abdullah urged the IEC’s board of commissioners and staff to work to ensure the success of the electoral process, calling for zero tolerance of any violations.