IEC, EU delegation discuss election monitoring strategies

AMMAN — President of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Musa Maaytah received on Thursday the European Union delegation participating in monitoring the 2024 Lower House elections. 

The delegation was headed by Deputy Chief of Mission Delphine Blanchet, and attended by EU Ambassador Pierre-Christophe Chatzisavas.

According to a statement from the IEC, Maaytah said that since King Abdullah announced the holding of the 2024 parliamentary elections, the IEC has been working in cooperation with partners to launch numerous awareness and education programmes about the importance of political participation for the elections scheduled for September 10.

He added that these elections are distinctive because they are conducted under a new election law, which has increased the number of seats allocated for women (quota) in local lists to 18 seats, up from 15. 

There is also a general list comprising 41 seats reserved for political parties out of a total of 138 seats in the Lower House.

Maaytah noted that the commission has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Center for Human Rights, and the Bar Association to provide legal assistance to persons with disabilities during the upcoming parliamentary elections. 

The IEC has also equipped 95 schools, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, to serve as model polling stations accessible to persons with disabilities, ensuring they can reach the polling stations easily.

 For the first time, there will be volunteers from the commission to assist them on election day.

Maaytah also emphasised the commission's commitment to combating electoral and party bribery, noting that it has so far referred three cases to the Public Prosecutor and is continuously monitoring electoral campaign violations through social media or reports from the field.

In turn, Chatzisavas outlined the European Union delegation's timeline plan, commending the commission’s efforts and its readiness to conduct the elections, the advanced level it has achieved in managing electoral processes, and its openness to electoral process partners, especially oversight bodies.