Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 25 September 2016: Jordan election results annouced

The results of Tuesday’s parliamentary elections in Jordan ware announced on Sunday, 25^th September. Most of the seats were won by independent candidates, while the National Coalition for Reforms, consisting of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood, representatives of Christian minority and some secular groups, received the best results of all political parties. According to official data, the turnout was 36 percent, 20 pp lower than in 2013. Despite some improvement in the area of transparency, political parties and a journalist group reported numerous irregularities in voting and counting process.

The National Coalition for Reforms won 15 seats, 10 of which gained by the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Action Front. An Islamist party Zamzan and the Islamic Centre Party took 5 seats each. The National Current Party and the Justice and Reform Party received 4 and 2 seats, respectively. The Communist and Ba’ath parties, the National Union and al Awn Party received 1 seat each. The rest of the MPs were independent candidates, representing tribal and business groups close to the royal palace.

The result is a signal that the Muslim Brotherhood enjoys popularity and possesses political structures that make it a serious actor. For over two years it has been in conflict with the government which led to a split in the group and the government placed administrative barriers to its activity. Its participation under the umbrella of the National Coalition for Reforms represents its move towards the political centre and abandonment of some religious demands and symbols, including its ‘Islam is the solution’ slogan.

In Jordan’s semi-authoritarian political system the parliament has limited competencies, but remains an important element of the public sphere, while elections are a crucial indicator of public sentiments. While recent changes to electoral law increased the role political parties play, the parliament remains dominated by independent MPs, which hinder opposition’s attempts to enact legislation or influence the composition of the government. The Brotherhood boycotted previous elections in 2010 and 2013, arguing that the were neither free nor fair. This time, its leaders accused the government of manipulating electoral rules in order to weaken opposition parties. This was reflected in the result of the National Coalition for Reforms which received around 25% of votes cast and only 12% of seats. After the voting, protests over alleged electoral fraud broke out in several cities.