Amman: Chairman of Board of Commissioners of Independent Election Commission (IEC), Musa Maaytah, said that the next parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place before the month of November, as per the constitution, which is decided by His Majesty King Abdullah II.

He emphasized that the Commission has started all necessary preparations and finished a number of tasks associated with the process of field surveying of polling places throughout all of the Kingdom’s governorates in order to modify them for the approaching legislative elections. He clarified that the voter registry, which has been updated and now has almost 5 million male and female voters, will be announced next month.

Maaytah emphasized the significance of having political parties in order to participate in elections and reach Parliament on programmatic grounds in order to achieve the formation of parliamentary governments.

He pointed out that there are 30 political parties currently in existence in Jordan in addition to 10 parties th
at are in the process of being established. These 30 parties have a combined membership of about 60,000 people.

He said that parties are an essential partner in developing the political process and that the Commission is concerned with developing its relationship with parties in accordance with the law.

He noted the existence of an electronic platform dedicated to parties where citizens can learn about the parties, their policies, members, leaders, programs, and other details.

Maaytah clarified that the involvement of thousands of students in universities, institutes, and higher education in political parties is associated with the formation of youth conceptions of democracy, participation, human rights, and respect for social diversity, as well as party and election laws and the most recent constitutional amendments.

He mentioned that a national civic education curriculum on party laws and democracy was being developed for universities. This means that starting in the next year, voters will be assigned t
o polling places based on factors like proximity to the family’s home and the presence of family members at the same location. In March or April, the Commission will hold an election simulation.

He emphasized that the IEC is almost done selecting the main committees for the elections after conducting interviews and training, and he explained that the voter registry, which has been renewed, will be announced next month. Currently, it has about 5 million male and female voters on it. The majority of the executive orders governing the electoral process have been prepared by the commission, he noted, pointing out that there are eighteen election committees.
Source: Jordan News Agency