PM affirms gov’t commitment to youth political participation

AMMAN — Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Tuesday reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring that youth involvement in political life and partisan politics remains unhindered.

He stressed the importance of creating an environment conducive to students’ ability to actively participate in political work, calling on university presidents and deans of student affairs to shoulder their responsibilities in this regard, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

These remarks were made during the prime minister's visit to Al al-Bayt University as part of his tour of the Kingdom. 

During his visit, he met with students from various faculties and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the university. 

Khasawneh stressed the importance of universities aligning their systems with current regulations governing political activity in higher education institutions, which were created to encourage youth involvement in politics.

He stressed that the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place between July and November 2024, represent a critical opportunity to encourage active youth participation. 

Youth participation in the last elections reached only 33 per cent, which was “below expectations”, he noted. The prime minister also noted the significance of the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will be governed by a new electoral law that allocates 41 seats to national party lists and 75 seats in subsequent elections.

The government is committed to improving the education sector through an approach encompassing all educational institutions from primary schools to universities, he said, noting that there will be a focus on promoting vocational and technical education to equip graduates with the necessary skills to meet the demands of the labour market.

During his visit, the prime minister also spoke with students, responding to questions from a selected group of high-achieving students.