Jordan Times
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
IAF to
participate in parliamentary polls
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
AMMAN - The Muslim Brotherhood on Tuesday announced that their political wing,
the Islamic Action Front (IAF), would participate in the November parliamentary
elections, putting an end to weeks of speculation.
In a statement sent to The Jordan Times, the movement said the decision was
taken “despite a plethora of good reasons to boycott the elections”.
The movement criticised the government for allegedly rigging votes in the
municipal elections “and marginalising the role of the people”.
“The government imposed a group of people on the municipal councils, including
Amman Municipality, in a flagrant challenge to the will of citizens,” the
statement said, referring to allegations that members of the Armed Forces were
asked to vote for certain candidates.
The movement, which abruptly pulled out of the elections a few hours after
polling centres opened, charged that several buses were seen transferring army
personnel to polling stations, where they voted more than once.
The government denied the allegations as baseless and said the Islamists’
decision to pull out from the elections was staged.
Last week, during a meeting with Muslim Brotherhood leaders, Prime Minister
Marouf Bakhit acquainted them with procedures the government will take to ensure
free and fair legislative elections.
Earlier this month, the Opposition Parties Higher Coordination Committee said
its members will participate in the parliamentary elections, although many party
leaders said they were reluctant in light of the controversy surrounding the
municipal polls.
Jordanians will head to polling stations across the Kingdom on November 20 to
elect members of the 15th Parliament. The polls will be conducted under the
one-person, one-vote system, which opposition parties object to, with the
Islamists saying it was tailored to diminish their influence. The provision led
the IAF to boycott the 1997elections, but it took part in the 2003 polls.
The Islamist movement took the opportunity of declaring its participation in the
polls to lay down its elections platform, which includes “working on achieving
real constitutional reforms, fighting corruption and easing citizens’ economic
burdens”.
It also called on the government to draft a new elections law “to be the basis
for badly needed reform”.