Electoral System

General Features

  •  Jordan's Electoral Law has long been a topic of controversy and its reform a key demand of opposition parties and pro-democracy groups in the country. Various elements of the electoral law have been blamed for producing the unfair and unfree election results of the past and have directly brought about the boycott of electoral processes by key players such as the Islamic Action Front.
  • A reform of the electoral law and system were proposed as part of a reform process to counteract Arab Spring protests and a National Dialogue Committee was set up to advise the process. The NDC's recommendations however, were largely ignored in the drawing up of the revised Electoral Law. The controversial single non-transferable voting system was retained, proportional voting only introduced in a small number of additional national seats, and significantly, severe voting inequality among regions was not addressed. 
  • The electoral system for the House of Representatives can be seen in more detail by clicking on the header below:
Elective Bodies