AMMAN — More Jordanians than ever before are expected to partake in the August 27 municipal elections, the government said Monday, emphasising that it will strive to implement the polls in a fair and transparent manner.
Minister of Interior and Minister of Municipal Affairs Hussein Majali, speaking at a press conference in Amman, said that there has been considerable foreign interest in ensuring that the upcoming polls run smoothly.
“We have been approached by European, Arab and local organisations interested in monitoring the elections. We welcome any observer because this sends a message of the government’s willingness to implement the elections in accordance with the highest standards of integrity,” Majali said at the presser.
“We are closely coordinating and cooperating with the Independent Elections Commission, which will be supervising the electoral process, and we are learning from the experience they acquired from overseeing the parliamentary elections earlier this year,” the minister added.
Some 3,702,000 citizens are eligible to cast their votes, compared to around 2.4 million citizens in the previous elections, according to the Civil Status and Passports Department. Of the total number, 1,345,720 voters are located in the Greater Amman Municipality, CSPD figures show.
Majali attributed the hike in the number of voters to the fact that the government has decided to accept the department’s database, which contains the details of the public’s residences, adding that this eliminates any manipulation of the voter lists and gives more credibility to the entire process.
Majali also noted that the ministry has assigned a total of 101 individuals to head the elections committees. These panels are responsible for the implementation of the polls in line with the Municipal Elections Law and other relevant regulations, he noted.
Urging citizens to vote and take part in the August 27 polls, Majali emphasised that although it is not forbidden by law, members of the security agencies and armed forces are unable to take part in the elections.
“The elections only run for the span of one day and, in accordance with the law, cannot be extended. As a result, the armed forces and security agencies will be at work and it would not be fair to allow some of them to vote while the others remain on duty, securing the stability of the Kingdom,” Majali added.
The municipal polls are “another brick in the wall of the country’s reform process, which began two years ago under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah”, according to the minister.
Majali said the voters will be casting their votes in 8,144 voting boxes, split equally between the mayor and the members of the municipal councils, adding that each box has an average capacity of taking up to 500 votes.
Majali said 708 candidates will be running for mayor, of whom six are women, in addition to 2,332, including 482 women, who will compete for council seats in the Kingdom’s 101 municipalities. The minister noted that one mayor has been already won uncontested because he was the only one running for mayor in his town.
Expressing the government’s appreciation for their cooperation, Majali said the Kingdom’s telecommunications companies — Zain, Orange and Umniah — have started offering an electronic service to the public where they can inquire about the addresses of their polling stations via sending a text message and their national security number to 98828.
Majali said more than 40,000 employees are directly or indirectly involved in the preparations to carry out the elections on time, adding that the ministry, as of the first day of the Eid Al Fitr, will start an intensified media campaign targeting the voters and giving more details on the elections.
by: Hani Hazaimeh
source: http://jordantimes.com/37-million-jordanians-eligible-to-vote-in-municipal-polls----majali
