Amman: Polls to be held without changes to Elections Law

Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh on Thursday said the 2012 Elections Law would not be revisited and that the parliamentary elections would be held before the end of this year. Speaking to Jordan Television, Tarawneh noted that the Elections Law has gone through all its constitutional channels and with the recent issuance of a Royal Decree and its publication in the Official Gazette, it has officially gone into effect. "To make it clear enough, there will be no new amendments to the Elections Law and the upcoming parliamentary polls will be held before the end of this year on the basis of the amended version," the premier said. Tarawneh also underlined that His Majesty King Abdullah's intervention to amend the key reform-oriented legislation, under which the number of seats allocated for a national proportional list was raised to 27 instead of 17, will contribute to enhancing the political aspect of the polls, driving people to vote for programmes and agendas and not individuals. "For the first times in decades, parliamentary elections will be held in the country on the basis of a permanent legislation and it is hoped that the coming polls will lay the groundwork for parliamentary governments formed by partisan parliamentary blocs," Tarawneh stressed. "The electoral law is a controversial political legislation in nature and is not something sacred and untouchable; it can be revisited later through the same constitutional channels that endorsed it," he added. Tarawneh also explained that several political parties and popular forces suggested various electoral systems. "Every party claimed that its proposal would gain the agreement of the majority but no one accepts the government saying the same about the current Elections Law," he said. Asked whether the Elections Law would be amended during Parliament's expected extraordinary session, Tarawneh said: "Again, let it be clear enough that the legislation will not be revisited and that the next polls will be conducted on its basis." The premier also noted that the Independent Elections Commission work to guarantee the fairness and transparency of the polls and is working relentlessly to be fully ready for that mandate. He said voter identification cards will be distributed soon. Describing participation in the elections as a "national duty", the prime minister underlined that active participation is the only way to achieve the envisioned reform and that boycotting the polls is passive behaviour that will not serve the reform process. "If boycotting the polls is a right, urging others to stay away from the elections is a violation of the Constitution," Tarawneh said.