AMMAN: Polls opened on Tuesday in first parliamentary elections in Jordan under a new law, local media reported. The 2022 electoral law is meant to be pave the way for political parties in order to play a main role, but the election is still likely to keep the 138-seat parliament in the hands of pro-government factions.
The new law for the first time directly allocates 41 seats for 30 pro-government parties. The law also raised the quota for women’s representation to 18 from 15 seats as well as lowered the age for elected deputies to 25 from 30.
According to media reports, of Jordan’s 11 million citizens, 5.1 million are registered voters aged over 18. Total 1,623 candidates, including 353 women are taking part in the elections. Authorities say King Abdullah’s decision to go ahead with the elections was a message that politics is continuing as normal.
