Women’s 'weak representation' in election committees draws flak

AMMAN — Al Karak Castle Centre for Consultations and Training (KCCCT) on Wednesday criticised the low number of women’s representations in the election’s committees.

“In total, women constitute only 21 per cent of the total positions in the election committees, and this is a dangerous indication that the Independent Election Commission (IEC) does not support the political participation of women in the upcoming elections, the KCCCT said in a statement made available to The Jordan Times.

As the date of each election process draws near, official and non-official statements increase, calling for the participation of women in elections, the KCCCT said.

“There is an increase in programmes that target women and aim at building and enhancing their capacities to participate in elections, as either nominees or voters, including calling for the importance of women's participation in the decision-making process, the inclusiveness of the electoral process,” the KCCCT noted.

However, the KCCCT said that by examining the data published by the IEC regarding the election committees in the 23 electoral districts, “it appears that no woman was selected to occupy the position of chairing an electoral committee, while only two women were appointed to the position of commissioner of the committee, namely the Aqaba constituency and the Bedouin constituency of the North”.

The KCCCT also pointed out that "only eight women were selected to be members of the election committees out of 46 vacancies for this position, while only 23 women were selected to be assistant members in the election committees out of 64 vacancies for this position".

“Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects facing the advancement of women in the field of participation in decision-making is the general trends and acceptance of their presence in leadership positions, which requires a great effort and a long time,” the KCCCT noted.

This is something that the “IEC’s decisions related to the formation of election committees, which form the core of the electoral process, have been missing, as this formation deprived women from chairing any of the 23 election committees and women's participation was limited to assistive membership and membership in the best cases”.

“We regret to see that the composition of the election committees now brings us back to square one and pushes us to demand the basics of women's rights in political participation,” according to the KCCCT statement.

The KCCCT said: “We reaffirm the need to observe the principles of equality and equal opportunities in various fields of work, especially from institutions that are among the national achievements that have been achieved in the framework of consolidating and strengthening these principles”.

In August, Solidarity is Global Institute (SIGI) also criticised the IEC for the weak presence of women in the election committees with only 23 females out of the 156 members, which only represents 20.5 per cent.

SIGI urged the IEC to consider assigning more women for polling station committees that will be formed soon.

The IEC had announced in July that elections for the 19th Parliament would be held on November 10, following a Royal decree in July directing the concerned authorities to hold parliamentary elections in accordance with the provisions of law. The Kingdom is divided into 23 constituencies.

His Majesty King Abdullah ordered the dissolution of Parliament last month, opening the door for the upcoming elections.

The IEC recently stressed that it will "exert its utmost efforts to ensure the success of this important democratic process in the smoothest and most transparent manner, while ensuring the health, safety and security of citizens".

The commission assigned October 6, 7, and 8 as the designated dates for individuals to officially register to run for the elections.

The IEC recently announced that accreditation for international agencies to monitor the November elections will be open until October 20.