Jordan Times
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Elections watch
More than 1,400 young people agreed on Monday that candidates running for the
forthcoming elections should enjoy leadership skills and be acquainted with the
country’s legislation and challenges. The youngsters gathered at the “Sharek”
tent at Al Hussein University campus in Maan. Organised in cooperation with the
Ministry of Political Development, the Higher Council for Youth and the Jordan
Youth Forum, the event was designed to encourage the younger generation to take
part in the polls.
A total of six voting centres were allocated for people with disabilities in
Koura District, including two ballot boxes in each. Koura District Governor
Hussein Balasmeh said the district will provide wheelchairs to facilitate the
voting process for the disabled.
Muta University on Monday held two workshops on the parliamentary election. The
first was held in cooperation with the Higher Youth Council with the aim of
encouraging students to vote and introducing them to the importance of electing
the right, qualified candidate to represent them. Meanwhile, the second workshop
was organised in cooperation with the university’s Sharia Faculty on the
participation in the polls from the Sharia perspective. Several scholars and
researchers took part in the event, where they highlighted the role of scholars
in guiding the younger generation to vote for the candidates capable of
representing them in parliament.
President of the Women Cultural Forum in Irbid Fayzeh Zu’bi on Monday said
social and family-related issues are among the challenges hindering women from
participating in political life. Zu’bi made the remarks during a lecture on
women’s participation in the November 20 parliamentary polls. She said the
percentage of Jordanian women’s participation in the election is similar to
international figures, as UN figures issued in 2001 indicated that women’s
participation nationwide stood at 13.4 per cent. She said that women’s
participation in local elections remained low since the first polls in 1989,
where it did not exceed 7 per cent of the total candidates. She added, however,
that more women than men voted in several districts.
Irbid Governor Ali Fayez, who heads the central committee for the parliamentary
election, announced that two candidates had withdrawn from the governorates’
Third and First districts. The number of candidates in the governorate now
stands at 206, including 50 women.
Ajloun Governor Ali Faraj Sharaa announced that Omar Rababah, a candidate from
the governorate’s First District, pulled out of the race, thus decreasing the
number of candidates to 34.