Jordan Times
Friday, July 27, 2007
Women candidates reveal agendas at press meeting
Women candidates running for the July 31 municipal elections on Thursday revealed their agendas that mainly focused on
improving services and infrastructure in their communities and advocating women and children’s causes.
“My main focus will be on youth and implementing awareness programmes for them that focus on AIDS, drugs and smoking as
well as domestic violence issues,” said Reem Nasser, a former employee at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.
Nasser, who resigned from the ministry to run for the elections in Amman’s Tabrbour/Tareq District, is one of 354 women
candidates who registered to compete for seats in 91 of the Kingdom’s 94 municipalities.
Six women have signed up to run for the post of mayor.
Nasser was one of dozens of female candidates who visited the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) headquarters on
Thursday to promote themselves and discuss their future working plans.
Jordan Television filmed 30-second slots of the candidates, which will be aired for three days starting Sunday.
Islamic Action Front (IAF) Shura member Arwa Kilani, who is running in the Tlaa Al Ali/Khalda/Um Al Summaq District, said
she will focus on providing public facilities for adolescents and young children.
Kilani, who is representing the IAF, told The Jordan Times she will also concentrate on reactivating the role of religious
institutes and promoting the role of women in the public and voluntary sectors.
Haifa Karadsheh, who heads the Madaba branch of the General Federation for Jordanian Women, said her main target will be
the cultural and tourist aspect of the city.
“I am going to focus on the cleanliness of the city… since it is a destination for many tourists,” Karadsheh told The Jordan
Times.
Traffic congestion, a widespread problem, is on the agenda of Manal Momani, a lawyer who is running in Nuzha District in
Irbid.
Momani said she will also work on attracting more investments to her town, where many factories are situated.
Running for the third time, former municipal council member in Ramtha Amira Ghanem said her desire to serve people was her
motivation.
“I wish I could win to realise people’s expectations, as well as to support women in decision-making positions,” Ghanem said.
Last week, the women’s movement in Jordan launched a national campaign to support female candidates under the slogan, “My
house, my municipality, my country, a trust I undertake”, which seeks to help women increase their representation in the
municipal polls.
In the Municipalities Law, endorsed by the Parliament earlier this year, the government allocated no less than 20 per cent
of municipal council seats for women.
In the 2003 municipal elections, only five of the 46 women who ran won, prompting the government to appoint 97 women to
local councils. Currently, around 8 per cent of municipal council seats are filled by women, with the majority appointed by
the government