Amman, Jordan (DT/AFP) – Jordan’s Islamist opposition made notable strides in the parliamentary elections, driven by public discontent over Israel’s conflict in Gaza, according to initial official results released on Wednesday.
The Islamist Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, saw a boost from a new electoral law designed to enhance the role of political parties in the 138-seat parliament. Despite this shift, tribal and pro-government groups are expected to remain dominant.
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Under the revised electoral law, which allocated 41 seats to political parties for the first time, the Front secured up to 20% of the seats, as indicated by preliminary figures from Reuters and corroborated 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 party, told Reuters.
Tuesday’s vote represents a modest step in a democratization process launched by King Abdullah II as he seeks to insulate Jordan from the conflicts at its borders, and respond to demands for robust 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 voting system still favors sparsely populated tribal and provincial regions over the densely populated cities mostly inhabited by Jordanians of Palestinian descent, which are Islamic strongholds and highly politicized.
Turnout among Jordan’s 5.1 million eligible voters in Tuesday’s poll was low at 32.25 percent, initial official figures showed, up slightly from 29% in the last election in 2020.
Candidates had expressed worries ahead of the election that the war in Gaza could dampen turnout, hurting chances for more significant gains by Islamists who had sought to capitalize on public anger against Israel.
“The Gaza war and the Palestinian cause occupy a major place in Jordanian elections, as all eyes and minds are on Gaza and Palestine and the massacres taking place there against the Palestinian people,” IAF candidate Saleh Armouti said ahead of the vote.
Jordanian officials say the fact that elections are being held at all while the war in Gaza and other regional conflicts are raging demonstrates their country’s relative stability.
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.
They have led some of the largest protests in the region in support of the Hamas terror group, their ideological allies, in what their opponents say led to bolstered popularity.
Jordan’s top court in 2020 dissolved the country’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, citing the group’s failure to “rectify its legal status.”
