More than five million Jordanians are voting on Tuesday, September 10, between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. UTC, to elect a new parliament. In this country neighboring Israel and the occupied West Bank, the campaign is dominated by a climate of discontent over a sluggish economy and conflicts in the Palestinian territories. The Jordanian parliament has little power, but these two campaign themes, a source of tension, fuel the stakes of the vote.
These elections to renew Parliament, which take place every four years in Jordanare the first since the adoption of a new law in January 2022. This one increased the number of seats in Parliament (130 to 138) and raised the quota reserved for women and lowered the minimum age of candidates. The Parliament is a legislative chamber that is dominated by the King and the government is not responsible to the deputies. According to the Constitution, the sovereign retains control over strategic issues, appoints the Prime Minister and can dissolve Parliament, declare war, conclude peace or make treaties and agreements.
The fact remains that popular anger over the situation in Gaza fuels the stakes of this election, in a country where nearly half the population is of Palestinian origin. All this in a tense economic context. Tourism, which represents 14% of the country’s GDP, is suffering from the neighboring conflict.
During the protests, campaign slogans alternated between the daily challenges of Jordanians in a country dependent on foreign aid and the war in Gaza.
- RFI
