Chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Musa Al-Maaytah, underlined the IEC’s eagerness to create the suitable environment for journalists to observe the voting process and that handling media, particularly on polling day, will be flexible.
Speaking to a meeting on Saturday with the Jordan Press Association (JPA) President, Rakan Saaydeh and the JPA council members, to discuss key issues and challenges facing journalists during their coverage of the parliamentary elections, Al-Maaytah said the IEC is committed to applying regulations and instructions, ensuring transparency and clarity in the parliamentary elections.
Al-Maaytah pointed out that in order to enhance transparency, there will be a representative for each accredited media outlet, where this representative will be tasked with following up and covering the process of extracting the results and transferring them accurately to the media outlet he represents, as this measure comes to ensure comprehensive coverage of all stages of the el
ectoral process, including the announcement of the final results, stressing the importance of issuing instructions from the JPA as the concerned entity with organizing journalists work.
He underlined the importance of forming a joint committee between the IEC and the JPA to organize the upcoming elections that will be held for the provincial and municipal councils in order to organize the electoral process and set the foundations and instructions for the participation of journalists who are members of the JPA’s general assembly.
For his part, Saaydeh confirmed that there will be a hotline in the JPA in coordination with the IEC to monitor the electoral process and follow up on the observations received from journalists to be communicated to the IEC, underscoring the importance of the journalist’s role in covering the elections professionally, impartially, and accurately.
He called for facilitating journalists’ work in polling and counting centers without any obstacles so they can carry out their journalist
ic mission and report on the election proceedings. He also called for giving journalists more room and flexibility to move about in order to carry out their professional duties and report the electoral process in all neutrality and accuracy, in addition to coordinating with the JPA in issuing election-related cards.
He applauded the IEC for making noticeable progress in its preparations and stated that the JPA is prepared to fortify its relationship with the IEC in a manner that will enhance the press’s position as a fundamental pillar of democracy.
Source: Jordan News Agency