Jordan Times
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Bakhit vows fair, free polls
By Khalid Neimat
AMMAN - Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit on Wednesday acquainted Islamist leaders
with procedures the government will take to ensure free and fair legislative
elections, slated for November 20.
He told Muslim Brotherhood top officials the measures come in response to His
Majesty King Abdullah’s directives, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The agency quoted the Islamists as saying they “take pride” in the King’s
directives, emphasising the need for all “to stand united and work hand in hand
to build a modern Jordan, a state of law and institutions, in line with the
vision of the wise Hashemite leadership”.
Bakhit said the government “stands at the same distance from all parties”.
A government official familiar with the meeting told The Jordan Times a
“positive atmosphere prevailed” during the discussions, which also covered
issues like the surge in essential commodities’ prices and the economic
situation in general.
The Islamists called on the government to relieve the economic hardships
suffered by people and to do more to prevent further rises in prices.
In a statement, the Muslim Brotherhood said the meeting was dominated by
“responsible dialogue”.
“The Islamic movement’s leadership stressed the need to restore citizens’
confidence in the elections and to encourage public participation,” citing
apathy on the part of “large segments of the population” regarding the
elections.
The meeting came three days after the authorities released four members of the
Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and
country's largest political party, after four months of detention.
Three other party members are still in detention. The seven were taken into
custody in May and June “for involvement in security issues”, according to the
government. But the IAF has alleged the arrests were made in connection with the
municipal elections that were held on July 31.
The IAF withdrew the 33 candidates it fielded for the municipal polls hours
after the voting process started, accusing authorities of vote-rigging.
In an unprecedented counterattack, Bakhit slammed the Brotherhood for the
pullout, describing the move as "unpatriotic, conspiratorial and opportunistic".
He called on the group to preserve its heritage and regain control of the
situation that was seized by “small men handling big issues”.
The IAF, has in the past few weeks, been in consultation with other opposition
parties over the parliamentary elections. While all parties said last week they
would take part in the polls, the Islamists said they needed more time to make
up their minds.