Wednesday, Jun 18, 2003
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2003 |
| International | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | International
Electoral officers here reported a low turnout in the first hours of voting, reflecting widespread voter apathy and a holiday. "I'm not too keen to vote because lawmakers have done little for us, but I had to come because my candidate is a family member," said Reba Najar (34), after she voted with six sisters and her mother. She had arrived at an Amman polling station in a bus provided by a candidate, a common practice in Jordan. The elections are the first under King Abdullah II, a ruler of absolute power who can veto legislative bills, dismiss Parliament and rule by decree. Parliament has not met since the King dissolved it two years after ascending the throne in 1999. He repeatedly postponed elections as popular sympathies were gripped by Israeli-Palestinian violence on the neighbouring West Bank. The Jordan's Parliament, unlike many Arab rubber-stamp legislatures, has some power. It can block bills and force a Prime Minister and Cabinet to resign. "Some people are selling their votes for money and I don't blame them because they have no food on their table," said Fatima Nasr, (55), a mother of five, in Zarqa, 25 km northeast of Amman. Voters are disillusioned by Parliament's inability to improve the economy, said a poll expert, Moussa Shekhani. Unemployment is 14.4 per cent and about 22 per cent of the population is at or below the poverty level. A total of 765 candidates, including 54 women, are vying to win a place in the 110-seat Chamber of Deputies. The upper Chamber, the Senate, comprises 40 members appointed by the King. Nearly 300 leaders of the country's major tribes are contesting. Most are likely to win the support of their constituents. Tribesmen owe allegiance to Hashemite dynasty. Only four of Jordan's 31 political parties are fielding candidates. Many are inexperienced — parties were prohibited until 1989 — and many believe they have little chance of making headway against entrenched patterns of voting along tribal and family lines.
AP
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Southern States |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
|
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
