Muslim Brotherhood Society elects Thneibat as overall leader

AMMAN — In its first executive office elections on Friday, the Muslim Brotherhood Society unanimously elected Abdul Majeed Thneibat as overall leader for a four-year term.

The society, which was founded and licensed last March, had elected Thneibat as interim overall leader for a six-month temporary period that was extended for another three extra months before conducting these elections.

The newly elected leader said the executive office of the society will meet on Sunday to discuss its plans and priorities for the upcoming four years.

One of the priorities, he noted, is to regulate internal issues, increase the number of affiliates and prepare for taking part in the next parliamentary elections, expected to take place this year.

Thneibat said a “preparatory” committee is working on the projected political party the society is planning to form in cooperation with members of the National Building Initiative (Zamzam), which is "a priority".

The new Brotherhood society was formed last year when the authorities approved a re-registration application filed by the reformist wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition group.

The move was led by Thneibat, who sought and succeeded in separating the Jordanian branch of the Brotherhood from its mother group in Egypt after decades of presence in that capacity.

The Muslim Brotherhood-Jordan was licensed in 1946 as a charity affiliated with the mother group in Egypt, and relicensed in 1953 as an Islamic society.