AMMAN — Municipal elections will be held on August 27, the government announced on Wednesday.
Interior Minister and Minister of Municipal Affairs Hussein Majali said preparations for the elections will kick off within the coming few days, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Cabinet decided to task the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) with supervising the municipal elections.
Paragraph 2 of Article 67 of the Constitution and Article 4 of the IEC Law authorises the agency to oversee and manage parliamentary polls and any other elections called for by the government in all of their stages.
However, the IEC on Tuesday said it has no legal jurisdiction over any polls except the parliamentary elections.
Despite the Constitution stipulating that the IEC has a supervisory role over parliamentary elections and any other polls that the government tasks it with, the Municipalities Law does not vest in the IEC the power to issue regulations regarding local polls, an official at the agency told The Jordan Times.
IEC spokesperson, Hussein Bani Hani noted that the elections are the responsibility of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
He added that IEC’s “role will be limited to supervising the polls” and providing recommendations instead of organising the process.
by:JT
source:http://jordantimes.com/municipal-elections-set-for-august-27
