PM says gov't will continue with reform measures

AMMAN — Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour on Friday said Jordan is occupied with elections, democracy and decentralisation, voicing hope that these types of issues would remain the Kingdom's only concern.

In an interview with Jordan Television's 60 Minutes, Ensour stressed the government's seriousness in implementing the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah in establishing strong and firm political reform.

The prime minister said the draft elections law is the fourth of a group of reform-oriented laws that contribute to progress in all fields and strengthening democracy.

The draft decentralisation law, he said, "allows the public to voice their thoughts and needs" by enabling them to elect representatives at the governorate and district levels to deal with their community needs instead of leaving that job to Parliament in Amman.

Ensour said the draft decentralisation, municipalities and political parties laws should be clarified to the public, and said media outlets did not cover them enough to showcase the seriousness of the political reform process.

The government's duty is to present the draft elections law to the Lower House and the Senate, and then they can change it as they see fit, he added.

Moreover, he said people can voice their opinions on the bill through their MPs, the media, seminars and lectures. 

The premier explained the difference between the one-person, one-vote system that has been in place for around 25 years and the new election law that allows voting for more than one candidate through the open proportional list system.

He said that the votes are calculated pro rata, which means the number of seats a list wins depends on the percentage of votes it receives, unlike before when the party with the most votes took all seats.

Ensour highlighted his experience when he was an MP and how he was against the one-vote system at the time as well as the majority system in calculating votes where one party took all seats even if it won by a one-vote difference.

The draft election law ensures more justice, he added, and is in line with the system followed by 70 per cent of Western democracies, he added. 

The prime minister said candidates who attempt to buy votes will be punished in accordance with the Penal Code and the draft elections law intensifies the penalties.

Ensour urged the public to help curb the practice by testifying against candidates who use bribery to win their seats.