Initiative encourages ‘progressive’ participation in elections

AMMAN — In a move to encourage “progressive” participation in the parliamentary elections, the Green Arrow programme has developed a guide to help voters make informed choices.

Developed by the Taqaddam Platform — a citizen-driven platform advocating for positive social, political and economic change — the initiative is an incubator for civil state principles, said Raed Wahbeh, a founding member.

The Green Arrow initiative invites voters to test candidates’ programmes based on seven core questions to assess their plans concerning job creation, educational reform, transportation, equality, freedom of expression, the role of government and political parties.

The initiative seeks to elevate the performance of political activism in Jordan, increase participation rates in the parliamentary elections and support candidates who adopt progressive and democratic views in their programmes, according to Wahbeh.

“Asking candidates these questions is a reminder of issues of importance to the public,” he said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Due to the performance of previous parliaments, some Jordanians are reluctant to take part in the electoral process. Some have called for boycotting the elections while others are simply indifferent to the polls and their repercussions, the activist noted.  

“Votes, regardless of who wins, represent the public’s desire, and who they want to represent them,” he noted, highlighting higher voting rates as leading to wider and more comprehensive representation of all Jordanians.

Furthermore, the initiative offers candidates a programme that advocates a “progressive and democratic” civil state. 

Taqaddam started discussions with prospective candidates in May, covering what the people want and how to incorporate civil state principles in electoral programmes, according to Wahbeh.

“We had one-on-one meetings with candidates adopting similar views to ours and we presented our programme,” he said, adding that some candidates adopted some items from the proposed programme, such as education and legislative reform, and tailored their programmes accordingly.

In addition to personal meetings, the Green Arrow programme has reached over 1 million social media users as well as readers of Taqaddam platform’s official website.

The use of social media channels, which are especially popular among the younger generation, helped the initiative reach out to youths and encourage their participation, Wahbeh said.

“Spreading awareness among voters in the age group starting from 17 years and three months is an investment in creating a generation with political awareness,” he noted.

While the activist expected the voter turnout in Tuesday’s elections to be higher than in previous elections due to the participation of candidates who previously boycotted the polls, he said the evaluation of the Green Arrow programme will be based on the performance of lists that adopted it.

Regarding post-election plans, Wahbeh said that voting day was only the beginning, as Taqaddam Platform is mostly concerned with the growth of the idea behind the campaign over time and in future parliaments.