Jordan Times
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Candidates pledge to support
younger generation, contribute to development
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN - Fourteen candidates competing for the three seats allocated for those of
Circassian and Chechen origins in the Lower House have pledged to support the
younger generation and contribute effectively to development projects.
Of the 14 candidates, three are running in the 5th electoral district in Amman,
including two women; six in the 6th District and five in the Zarqa Governorate’s
1st District, including one woman, Interior Ministry Spokesman Saad Shehab told
The Jordan Times.
Unofficial figures place the Circassian population in Jordan at between 80,000
and 100,000.
The total number of candidates competing for the 110 Lower House seats now stand
at 885 following the withdrawal of 113 candidates from across the Kingdom,
according to Ministry of Interior figures.
Commenting on today’s polls, former deputy Rawhi Shahaltogh said the number of
candidates running in this year’s elections has increased compared to the 2003
polls, where only eight candidates competed for the allocated Circassian/Chechen
Lower House seats.
Shahaltogh, a retired army major general, believes that very few candidates have
presented their platforms to the public.
“Candidates are trying to win people’s votes without familiarising them with
their agenda and slogans. People need to know who the candidate is and what he
or she has to say,” Shahaltogh told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Several citizens said they were more inclined to vote for former MPs as they are
aware of their past achievements and can count on that. However, others said
that family ties will determine how they vote.
Zeid Sharafeddin, an engineer on the 6th District electoral list, said he will
elect a candidate who is not only capable of serving people in his own District,
but one who can also monitor the government’s performance and decisions and is
aware of the country’s economic and political challenges.
“Our job as voters is to select the best candidate to represent us, someone who
can help people and ensure that their rights are guaranteed,” Sharafeddin told
The Jordan Times.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Natasha Maratouq said she believes candidates running for
the Circassian seats have launched the same slogans as other candidates because
they are part of the community and face the same challenges.
Maratouq, who is of Circassian origin, said she will elect the candidate who is
the most trustworthy and capable of delivering people’s viewpoints to lawmakers.
Circassians
The Circassians are a non-Arab, Islamic people originally from the Caucasus
region of western Asia.
Southward Russian expansion during the 19th century forced between 1.25 and two
million Circassians to emigrate south.
Circassians first arrived en masse in Jordan in 1878, where they settled in
Amman, Wadi Seer and Naur.
Today, Circassian populations can also be found in Jerash, Sweileh, Zarqa, Azraq
and other parts of northern Jordan.
The Ottomans managed the resettlement of the Circassians to some extent,
recruiting them into the police and governmental structures.
Until the 1940s, they continued to prefer service in the army or government, but
are now represented among diverse sectors and professions.