Jordan’s MB to Run for Parliamentary Elections

Jordan’s MB to Run for Parliamentary Elections

Jordan”s Muslim Brotherhood group, who has initiated since last Wednesday intensive meetings to take a decision towards the next parliamentary elections, decided to participate in the elections.
 
The Islamic group is expected to officially declare this later this week after those calling for participating appeared to be more than those calling for a boycott.
 
A source in the Muslim Brotherhood group said that the reason delaying the decision of participation which was expected in the middle of this week, is due to the fact that both executive offices of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and its political wing, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) didn”t complete selecting constituencies in which they field candidates for the elections, scheduled next November, 20th .
 
Both executive offices of the MB and IAF continue, with a wide scale participation from members of the MB”s Shura Council- the highest leading body in the Islamic movement- studying and approving the list of candidates names, amid a hot competition among various movements, on securing a stake in the list of candidate for the elections .
 
For his part, Salem Falahat, the secretary-general of the Muslim Brotherhood group in Jordan declared that the group plans to field candidates in the coming parliamentary elections in Jordan.
 
He added that not participating in the parliamentary elections or their possible absence in the legislative House is a big loss because they miss the opportunity of a presence in one of the state”s three authorities, an authority that watches government performance and supervises enacting bills. “The norm is that we take part in the elections and not to empty the House of reformers”, said Falahat adding that after consultation a final decision will be declared over the actual participation in the elections .
 
The Islamists” decision of participating in the elections comes despite their objection to maintaining adopting the single vote law and although the government didn”t admit that it rigged latest municipal elections, charges confirmed by other human rights agencies, including state run ones.
 
The Islamists garnered in the 2003 parliamentary elections up 17 seats, mostly from the capital and the eastern governorate of Al-Zarqa and northern Irbid, in the 110 seat House of Representatives which was dissolved weeks ago by a royal decree.
 
The Islamists demand “state guarantees that the coming elections will be fair. These guarantees include a judicial supervision over all election stages, local monitors from civil society institutions, topped by the National Human Rights Centre, to supervise the elections.
 
On the other hand, allies of the Islamic movement in the Higher Coordination Committee of Opposition Parties, including national and leftist parties, decided to participate in the coming elections, although they stress on their objection to still enacted single vote law. Higher Coordination Committee is scheduled to decide on a possible coordination or a possible declaration of a unified slate for the elections.