Jordanians to elect new parliament Tuesday
Xinhua, September 19, 2016 Adjust font size:
More than 4 million eligible voters in Jordan will go to polling stations on Tuesday to elect a new parliament.
The one-day vote comes as part of political reforms pledged by the kingdom in 2011 following the so-called Arab Spring.
It also comes amid unprecedented challenges faced by Jordan due to the regional situation and the influx of large numbers of Syrian refugees into the country.
The economic conditions of Jordanians have been worsened and the poverty and unemployment rates have increased as a result of these challenges, according to observers.
In Tuesday's elections, Jordanians will choose 130 members of parliament out of 1,252 candidates who are running in the vote. Fifteen seats are reserved for women.
The Islamic Action, the largest opposition party and the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, is taking part in the vote with some 121 candidates.
"The upcoming elections represent the start of a new political and democratic life in Jordan," Jihad Momani, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, told Xinhua.
Jordan's Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah said the kingdom is looking forward to a large voter turnout.
More than 108 European Union observers will be monitoring the elections, he added. Endit