IEC urges media to challenge ‘culture of boycott’ ahead of polls

AMMAN — Media outlets will play a key role in the success of the September 20 parliamentary elections by spreading awareness and reporting professionally, a senior official said on Saturday.

Independent Election Commission (IEC) Chief Commissioner Khaled Kalaldeh called on media outlets to encourage public participation in polls to challenge a “culture of boycott” that has prevailed in recent years.

Speaking at the launch of a four-day training workshop for journalists on independent coverage of the elections, Kalaldeh said the IEC is politically neutral, and emphasised that the press should be neutral too. 

“We are partners with media outlets in educating the public on the elections,” he said, calling on journalists to present regulations governing the electoral process in a simplified manner.

Meanwhile, the former minister urged media outlets to observe the entire electoral process in its various stages with a “critical eye” and to directly communicate with the IEC to stop violations wherever possible.

The IEC has assigned 50,000 people to run and manage the elections across the Kingdom, with particular emphasis on “hot spots”, Kalaldeh said at the event, organised by the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists (CDFJ).    

He highlighted the commission’s efforts to restore public faith in the elections through transparent processes.

Meanwhile, CDFJ President Nidal Mansour highlighted media observation of the elections as an essential guarantee for the integrity of the process and to ensure justice for all, particularly for minorities.

With the “explosive” increase in the use of social media, journalists should exert extra efforts to verify information from its sources to avoid the spread of rumours or false information, he said.

The training is organised in cooperation with FHI 360, a development organisation based in the US, and is funded by the USAID.