In November 2009, King Abdullah II of Jordan dissolved the Jordanian Parliament (elected in 2007) and called for early elections to be held on November 9th, 2010. These new elections feature various amendments to the previous set of laws governing elections. However, several opposition groups, including the Islamic Action Front (IAF), have boycotted the 2010 elections citing the lack of an independent monitoring mechanism and bias in the redistricting of the electorate that continues to provide rural areas (traditionally supportive of the regime) greater representation than they deserve.
The Jordanian National Assembly is comprised of an elected lower house (Majlis al-Nuwwab - Chamber of Deputies) and a royally-appointed upper house (Majlis al-A`yan - Assembly of Senators). According to the 2010 Election Law, the Chamber of Deputies consists of 120 seats. 108 of these seats are comprised of those allotted to the 13 governorates of Jordan, each divided into various numbers of districts and an attendant number of seats, all allegedly based on population figures. Within each district, the number of seats is divided along "ethnic" and "religious" lines, again based on alleged population figures. These candidates are elected by a single non-transferable vote, meaning each voter casts one vote for one candidate in the district in which the voter is registered to vote in. This fact has also been a contentious issue between the regime and the opposition, the latter of which prefers a list voting system. The implementation of the single non-transferable vote system is also problematic in Jordan because, although the distribution of seats is based on the population of districts, voters can register to vote in districts other than those in which they were counted as part of the population. The final 12 seats in the Chamber of Deputies are part of a quota system designed to guarantee at least 12 seats for women. In other words, of the female candidates who are not elected to any of the 108 district seats, the 12 highest vote-getting female candidates will form the remaining seats of the Chamber of Deputies.
In the Governorate of Amman, there are 7 districts. The Third District is allotted four seats for Muslims and one seat for a Christian. So in this district, the four highest vote-getting Muslim candidates as well as the highest vote-getting Christian candidate will automatically be elected into the Chamber of Deputies. Alternatively, the Sixth District has a total of three seats, one of which is allotted to a "Chechen" or "Circassian." In this case, the two highest vote-getting Muslims will be elected to the Chamber of Deputies in addition to the highest vote-getter among Chechen/Circassian candidates. Any female candidates not elected to district-allotted seats will form part of the national pool of female candidates of which the twelve highest vote-getters will be automatically elected into the Chamber of Deputies.
The goal of this posting is not so much an in-depth analysis of the elections but rather a montage of election slogans and posters within the context outlined above. Any engagement with the issue of elections necessitates contextualizing it within the framework of an authoritarian system of rule and varied programs of economic and political liberalization/deliberalization that have been implemented over the past two decades (for example, see Jadaliyya articles by Bassam Haddad on "The Predicament of Independent Opposition"). Such a discussion, however, is beyond the scope of this article but will be addressed in future articles (click here for a preliminary discussion). Ultimately, Jordanian parliamentary elections (regardless of the specificities of laws that govern districting, candidacy, and other issues) are an extremely limited exercise in political rights by virtue of the fact that the monarch has the power to suspend, dissolve, shorten, and/or lengthen any parliamentary session. In fact, one has to question the utility and effectiveness of a parliament in whose absence the passage of laws, the running of ministries, and the maintenance of order continues unabated as if the "elected" legislature were not summarily dismissed and a concomitant parliamentary vacuum left for over a year (this time around).
The photos below are not representative of the diversity of candidates, slogans, and posters decorating the streets of Amman. They do, however, offer a glimpse into the nature of the discourse within the election realm. Each photo is followed by a translation of the slogans, the affiliation of the candidate, as well as the district s/he is running in.
"Your vote is a trust ... so grant it to the conscience of the country"
- Arab Socialist Ba`th Party - Amman (District 3)
"Your vote is a trust ... you will be asked about it on Judgement Day"
- Your Indepdendent Islamic Preacher - Amman (District 3)
"It is your [feminine form] right to vote ... your share is protected"
- Ministry of Political Development
Middle Banner: "No to higher prices ... no to monopoloy" - Patriotic Movement Party - Amman (District 3)
Bottom Banner: "Do not knowingly betray Allah and do not knowingly betray your trust" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Top Banner: "Citizenship, Equality, Security" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Far Left Poster: "Jordanians togther for achieving reform" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Left Poster: "Political reform is a practice and not a slogan" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Right Poster: "Fairness in access to university education and empolyment" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
"The homeland and your rights ... no matter how hight the cost"
- Independent - Amman (District 6)
"Jordan for all and all for Jordan"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
"Justice and equality for all Jordanians"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
"Yes ... to promoting the agricultural sector"
- Patriotic Movement Party - Amman (District 3)
"Your participation in the elections is a duty and part of your responsibilities towards your country ... Diversity that reinforces our identity" - Ballot box labelled with "National Unity"
- Ministry of Political Development
"Homeland`s daughter ... Everyone`s sister"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
Top Banner: "If all I want is reform then my ability and success is only through Allah" - Independent - Amman (District 6)
Middle Banner: "Yes ... the country is for all" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Bottom Banner: "Let us empower women to build society" - Patriotic Movement Party - Amman (District 3)
"Service of country and citizen"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
"Without slogans"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
"National unity ... a trust under our responsability"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
"On the basis of the covenant and the promise we were ... and we remain"
- Independent - Amman (District 3)
Left Banner: "Participate ... Change begins with the ballotboxes. Jordan ... your family, your country, your homeland ... Let us hear your voice/vote" - Ministry of Politics Development
Right (Orange) Poster: "For a secure future" - Amman (District 3)
Right (Bottom) Poster: "Let your vote/voice last" - Amman (District 3)
No slogan - Independent - Amman (District 3)
"Your vote for who is deserving ... A candidate prioritizes the public interest over his personal insterest ... A candidate monitors the government and holds it accountable ... A candidate adopts the issues of the country ... Jordan ... your family, your country, your homeland ... Let us hear your voice/vote"
- Ministry of Political Development
"Successful work begins with an individual and ends with a group ... Differences in opinion are the hallmark of progress and civility, so let us debate for the sake of a better future"
- Independent - Christian Seat - Amman (District 3)
Left Poster: "Jordan ... your country and mine" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
Right Poster: "Whatever we contribute ... the homeland deserves more" - Independent - Amman (District 3)
"The ballot box is a popular trial for all those who tampered with the will of the electorate"
-Independent - Amman (District 3)
"Buying votes: Shameful! By It really is shameful ... Do not be an accomplice to a crime of forgery and vote with honor"
- Ministry of Political Development
Campaign Headquarters for an Amman (District 3) Independent
Right Poster (with King Abdullah II`s Picture): "Shepherd of the march"