Cars
pass near banners and pictures of candidates running in the country's
parliamentary election in Amman, Jordan September 7, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad
Shelbak/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Jordan's Islamists bounce back in election clouded by Gaza war
AMMAN,
Sept 11 (Reuters) - Jordan's moderate Islamist opposition made
significant gains in Tuesday's parliamentary election, initial official
results showed on Wednesday, boosted by anger over Israel's war in Gaza.
The
Islamist Action Front (IAF) also benefited from a new electoral law
that encourages a bigger role for political parties in the 138-seat
parliament, though tribal and pro-government factions will continue to
dominate the assembly.
The
IAF, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, won up to a fifth of
the seats under the revamped electoral law, which for the first time
allocated 41 seats for parties, according to preliminary figures seen by
Reuters and confirmed by independent and official sources.
"The
Jordanian people have given us their trust by voting for us. This new
phase will increase the burden of responsibility for the party towards
the nation and our citizens," Wael al Saqqa, head of the IAF, told
Reuters.
The
Islamist win has allowed them to capture a total of 31 seats for the
first time since parliamentary life was revived in 1989 after decades of
martial law, allowing them to emerge as the largest political grouping
in parliament.
"The
elections reflect the desire for change and those who voted were not
necessarily all Islamists but wanting change and had become fed up with
the old ways," Murad Adailah, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood, said.
The Islamists, the only effective grassroots opposition, praised the authorities for not meddling in polls.
Adailah
told Reuters their win was a "popular referendum" that backs their
platform of support for the militant Palestinian group Hamas, their
ideological allies, and their demand to scrap the country's peace treaty
with Israel.
In
a country where anti-Israel sentiment runs high, they have led some of
the largest protests in the region in support of Hamas in what their
opponents say allowed them to increase their popularity.
The
election represents a modest step in a democratisation process launched
by King Abdullah as he seeks to insulate Jordan from the conflicts at
its borders and speed up the slow pace of political reforms.
Under
Jordan's constitution, most powers still rest with the king who
appoints governments and can dissolve parliament. The assembly can force
a cabinet to resign by a vote of no confidence.
The
monarch hopes nascent political parties under the new law will help
pave the way for governments that emerge from parliamentary majorities.
The
voting system still favours sparsely-populated tribal and provincial
regions over the densely-populated cities mostly inhabited by Jordanians
of Palestinian descent, which are Islamist strongholds and highly
politicised.
Turnout
among Jordan's 5.1 million eligible voters in Tuesday's poll was low at
32.25%, initial official figures showed, up slightly from 29% at the
last election in 2020.
The
Muslim Brotherhood has been allowed to operate in Jordan since 1946.
But it fell under suspicion after the Arab Spring, which saw Islamists
pitted against established powers in many Arab countries.
Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi, Editing by Gareth Jones and Angus MacSwan