Jordan’s main Islamist opposition social gathering has gained 31 out of 138 seats within the kingdom’s parliament, tripling its illustration in legislative elections dominated by frustration over the continuing Gaza struggle.
The Islamic Motion Entrance (IAF), a political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, got here forward of different events and factions within the legislature after Tuesday’s vote, however was removed from clinching a majority, in accordance with official election outcomes launched on Wednesday.
The result’s a historic win for the Islamists and their largest illustration for the reason that Muslim Brotherhood in 1989 gained 22 out of the 80 seats within the then parliament.
The IAF had 10 seats within the earlier parliament elected in 2020 and 16 seats within the 2016 legislature.
The Islamists had sought to capitalise on rising anger over the continuing struggle in Gaza amongst Jordanians, half of whom are of Palestinian origin.
“We’re pleased with these outcomes and with the arrogance positioned in us by the Jordanian folks,” IAF Secretary-Basic Wael al-Saqqa informed AFP.
“Gaza, Palestine and Jerusalem are all a part of the official and in style compass in Jordan and we are going to work on mobilising” to “achieve their rights and defend them,” he added.
He vowed that Jordanians would give Palestinians “monetary and different help, and be their lungs within the path of liberation and attaining their proper to a free state”.
Impartial Election Fee chairman Musa Maaytah informed a information convention the place he introduced the official outcomes that the IAF’s rise was an indication of Jordan’s “willpower to have political pluralism”.
– ‘Astonishing’ end result –
The opposite seats in parliament went to representatives of main Jordanian tribes, leftist events, pro-government factions, centrists, former lawmakers and retired navy officers.
Twenty-seven girls gained seats within the legislature, following 2022 reforms that allotted extra seats for them and diminished the minimal age for candidates.
That reform additionally expanded the variety of seats from 130 to 138 and sought to strengthen the function of political events within the legislature.
Turnout registered 32 p.c within the polls that have been largely overshadowed by the Gaza struggle and Jordan’s financial troubles.
The struggle in Gaza has affected tourism to Jordan, which depends on the sector for about 14 p.c of its gross home product.
Compounding the nation’s financial woes, public debt has neared $50 billion and unemployment hit 21 p.c within the first quarter of this yr.
Jordan in 1994 signed a peace treaty with Israel, turning into solely the second Arab state to take action after Egypt, however common protests have known as for the treaty’s dissolution for the reason that struggle erupted final October.
Oraib Rantawi, head of the Amman-based Al Quds Middle for Political Research, described the Islamists’ good points within the election as “astonishing of their magnitude”.
The Islamists gained “almost half one million votes”, a determine he mentioned was unprecedented of their historical past in Jordan.
“Gaza performed a significant function on this,” he added, in addition to a sense amongst voters that different competing events “have been created in haste… to cut back the probabilities of success of the Islamic Motion Entrance”.
