Jordan Times
Tuesday, October 4, 2005
13 recommendations on
Elections Law forwarded to the King — Muasher
By Ahmad Barakat
AMMAN — The National Agenda report will be ready for publication within two weeks after it has been presented to His Majesty King Abdullah, a senior government official said on Monday.
Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher, who heads
the Steering Committee of the National Agenda, said the panel members had
reached consensus on various issues, with the exception of the voting mechanism
in the Elections Law.
During his weekly press briefing yesterday, the deputy premier said 13
recommendations on the Elections Law along with two proposals on the voting
mechanism were forwarded to the King.
The first proposal suggests a “mixed voting system,” which grants citizens two
votes: One for a district candidate, and one for a proportional list, which
means a party list or that of several individuals who work under one platform.
The second recommends granting citizens a single ballot or a preferential vote,
through which a voter must choose between electing a district candidate or the
proportional list.
However, Muasher said the committee was in total agreement on the end-goal of
the Elections Law, which is to have a Lower House entirely elected on the basis
of proportional lists. The Elections Law has maintained the one-person, one-vote
system since it was enacted in 1993.
Among other recommendations on the Elections Law is to task the judiciary with
supervising the elections process.
The 26-member National Agenda committee was formed upon directives by King
Abdullah in February, to set the guidelines for policy-making during the next 10
years. The committee is assisted by subcommittees comprising 200 experts from
the public and private sectors and academia in eight sectors that specify
aspects of political, economic and social development in modern Jordan.
Meanwhile, the Jordan Press Association (JPA) is organising a sit-in in front of
the Prime Ministry at 11:00am today in protest against a National Agenda
recommendation to cancel mandatory membership for journalists in the JPA.
The National Agenda has set some 19 recommendations to develop the local media
sector, among them scrapping mandatory membership in the JPA.
Professional Associations Council President Hassan Jaber told The Jordan Times
that members of other associations would join the sit-in in solidarity with
their colleagues in the JPA, saying the recommendation was an attempt to break
up the association. Muasher said yesterday that abolishing mandatory membership
is intended to “give journalists more independence... but dialogue is always
open and not only on this recommendation but on all of them.”
He said he telephoned JPA President Tariq Momani early Monday and reiterated
that the National Agenda committee “is not seeking a confrontation with the
association, and does not want to be led into one and will not,” stressing that
the mutual goal is to come out with a reform plan. Momani told The Jordan Times
on Monday that the JPA totally rejects the recommendation and will continue to
escalate its protest, which started with a one-hour work stoppage by JPA members
on Sunday.
Momani, who met on Sunday with Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali and Senate
President Zeid Rifai to convey the JPA's position, said it was normal that some
JPA members and other journalists had agreed with the recommendation. Over the
past two days, several association members have called for freedom of choice
with regard to JPA membership.