1,651 candidates to run in parliamentary elections, IEC says

AMMAN — The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) on Thursday announced that the final number of people who registered to run for the parliamentary elections was 1,651.

The IEC Spokesperson Mohammad Kheir Rawashdeh said the number of local and general lists who submitted their candidacy to run for the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for September 10 was 199.

The number of political parties’ lists registered to run in the general constituency was 25 and included 697 individuals Rawashdeh told The Jordan Times.

 “The lists included five coalitions representing 16 political parties,” the IEC official stated.

Meanwhile, the local lists registered to run for the elections was 174 and included 954 individuals, according to Rawashdeh.

Rawashdeh said the IEC began examining the applications following the registration commencement on Tuesday, adding that the IEC will either accept or reject the application.

Starting August 9, candidates can start their electoral campaigns until September 8, according to a press statement by the IEC

Candidates wishing to run for elections have until August 28 to withdraw their candidacy, according to the IEC.

Earlier in the month, the IEC said in a press statement the final number of eligible voters for the upcoming Parliamentary elections was 5,115,219, including 2,689,926   females, which represent 52.5 per cent of the total voters.

The statement added that the number of eligible voters who will cast their ballots for the first time was 590,794.

Meanwhile, the number of eligible voters who are under 25 years old was 1,119,832, while the number of voters who are under 35 was 2,323,478, according to the IEC statement.

The IEC also stated that voters can check their ballot polling stations, location, and the number of the polling box by visiting the website www.iec.jo or by contacting the hotline number 117100 or via free text messages at the number 94455.

The IEC added that it had published the voter’s list on its social media platforms “to allow the public to access it”, according to the statement.

On April 24, His Majesty King Abdullah ordered the holding of the elections for the House of Representatives, by the law.

In 2022, the Senate and the Lower House passed the 2022 amendments to the Political Parties Law, which require political parties to increase the percentage of women and youth to at least 20 per cent within three years after their foundation.