IEC chief briefs East Asian envoys on Jordan’s election preparations

Chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Musa Maaitah, on Sunday briefed the ambassadors of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Thailand on the commission's preparations to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections. According to an IEC statement, Maaitah reviewed the preparations to hold the elections scheduled for September 10, indicating that the process will be conducted under a new Election Law, aimed at increasing the opportunities for Jordan's women and youth to participate in political life. Maaitah also affirmed the commission makes all efforts to empower Jordan's women and youth and achieve vision of the Jordanian state. Highlighting the top amendments to the Elections and Party Laws, he said the number of seats allocated to women (quota) in local lists has been increased to 18, adding that the general list consists of 41 seats allocated to Jordan's parties out of the overall 138 MPs at a rate of up to 30% in the 20th Lower House of Representatives. This rate, he noted , will rise to 50% in the 21st House, then settle at 65% in the 22nd Parliament, which achieves the Royal vision and the transition to programmatic group work. Maaitah reviewed the Jordanian experience in managing electoral processes, referring to benefits under the exchange of expertise with various electoral institutions, valuing interest of East Asian countries in the Kingdom's political modernization process. Meanwhile, the envoys praised the IEC's level in developing and improving the management of the electoral process, expressing their readiness for further cooperation, especially with their countries' electoral agencies. Source: Jordan News Agency