Jordanians vote in election overshadowed by Gaza war

AFP | Amman, Jordan

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Jordanians voted yesterday in a parliamentary election, it’s first vote since a 2022 reform increased the number of seats in the house, reserving more for women and lowering the minimum age for candidates.

After voting, Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said he hoped the turnout would not be affected by “this brutal Israeli aggression”.

“We hope that the vote will be high and befitting of this national occasion,” he said.

Independent Election Commission chairman Musa Maaytah later told a news conference he expected turnout “to be around the average of the previous elections in 2020 and 2016” when it was “around 30 percent”.

At 1430 GMT turnout was just under 24 percent. Voting will continue until 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), with results expected within 48 hours of polls closing.

Chief European parliament observer Zeljana Zovko told reporters voting was “going smoothly”.

Candidates include tribal leaders, centrists, leftists and Islamists from the country’s largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamic Action Front (IAF).

According to the election commission, more than 5.1 million people are registered to vote in the country of 11.5 million.