Jordan Elects a New Parliament: Lowest Voter Turnout Yet
The Jordanian Parliament was up for election on November 10 (Wikipedia)
The general elections for the Jordanian Parliament took place on November 10 in order to fill the 130-seat House of Representatives. Voter turnout reached a new low of 30 percent after reaching 36 percent in 2016. Many people explain the low voter turnout by pointing out people’s lack of incentive to vote—Jordanian King Abdullah II selects the prime minister, appoints the 65-seat Senate, can dissolve Parliament anytime, and rules by decree, so people are left wondering if their voices matter. In Jordan’s parliamentary monarchy, out of a population of 10 million, only 4.6 million Jordanians were eligible to vote this year. 15 of the House’s 130 seats are reserved for women, and the remaining 115 are divided among 23 constituencies and assigned according to a system of proportional representation. Of the 115, 12 are set aside for Christian, Chechen and Circassian minorities.
COVID-19 restrictions and a recent spike in cases undoubtedly played a role in lowering the voter turnout, as Jordan requires people to vote in-person. However, the low turnout also reflected widespread disillusionment with electoral laws. The electoral structure effectively assures results that proportionally reflect the tribal composition of the largely Bedouin country rather than promoting party competition. Those running for office are often accused of purchasing votes and appealing to family and clan loyalties rather than discussing their policy plans. As one hopeful voter said, “God willing, I will elect a good man who would preserve the homeland, and not someone who contents himself with sitting on the chair and forgets all those behind him.”
Ultimately, the worsening economy and the prior Parliament’s lack of reforms increased voter apathy. Jordan’s national debt reached $45.2 billion in June, 102 percent of its total GDP. In addition, the kingdom’s tourism industry, which contributes 10 percent of GDP (nearly $6 billion in 2019), has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Tourism revenue collapsed $3 billion from January to September, and the unemployment rate rose to 23 percent. The Jordanian people don’t trust Parliament to aid their staggering economy: “Most Jordanians think Parliament plays a marginal role in the political system,” claimed Oraib Rintawi of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies.
Nonetheless, last week’s legislative election yielded two noteworthy changes—a loss of seats for women and Islamist leaders. Only the minimum 15 women were elected, down from 20 in the outgoing Parliament. Of the 1,674 candidates, only 360 were women. The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Islamist movement of the Muslim Brotherhood and Jordan’s largest opposition party, lost 8 of their previous 16 seats. This trend may indicate decreasing support for women in government and the role of Islam in the country’s politics.