2010 Jordanian general election

Last updated

2010 Jordanian general election
Flag of Jordan.svg
←  2007 9 November 2010 (2010-11-09) 2013  →
150 to the House of Representatives
Turnout53%

Early general elections were held in Jordan on 9 November 2010 following the dissolution of the previous parliament by King Abdullah II in November 2009; the elections having not been due until November 2011. [1] A majority of the seats were won by pro-government or tribal candidates who were seen as likely to support the government's agenda. Seventeen candidates were from opposition parties, excluding the Islamic Action Front. Seventy-eight MPs were first time parliamentarians. Voter turnout was 53%. [2]

Contents

Background

In 2009, King Abdullah II dissolved parliament on the grounds that it failed to "address the people's needs" [3] only halfway through a four-year mandate, and also for "inept handling of legislation and failing to address poverty and unemployment." [4]

In 1991, the National Accord was signed, 2 years after political parties were legalised and an election was called. In return for agreeing to work under the government instead of against it, political freedoms and legalisation of the parties were allowed. However, there had been allegations of repeated violations of the pact and attempts to undermine the election. An electoral law created in 1993 effectively gave the rural areas a larger representation at the expense of the urban areas and had in effect created sub-identities and split the country into Palestinian areas, most of whom tended to side with the Islamic Action Front or leftist and pan-Arab nationalists, [5] and Bedouin areas. [4]

Campaign

There were 763 candidates in the election, [2] with 75% of incumbent MPs running again. [4]

The main opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamic Action Front, announced on 30 July 2010 it would boycott the polls due to unfair election laws which gave undue weight to the rural, sparsely populated areas, and other issues. [6] The "one-man-one-vote" law was seen as "engineered to deprive the Islamic Action Front of votes." [4] Seven IAF candidates defied the boycott and ran as independents, [7] with the IAF expelling five of them. [8] As a result of the boycotts, including the main opposition group, the poll was viewed with skepticism. [3] As a result of the calls for a boycott and allegations of fraud, a low voter turnout was expected, particularly amongst the Palestinian population. [9]

Opinion polls

The result was expected to be a predictable win for pro-government candidates and tribesmen with strong ties to the monarchy. [4]

Conduct

For the first time the government allowed international observers into the country, with 250 in attendance. [7] The National Democratic Institute reported that there had been a "clear improvement" compared with the 2007 elections. [7]

On election day, there were 53 instances of violence across the country, [7] with fighting between tribes loyal to different candidates led to at least one death and more injures. [10]

Analysis

An Al Jazeera analysis said that while the election may have succeeded in "manufacturing consent", the costs may be much higher in that it fomented an "atmosphere of mutual suspicion that undermines national unity and social cohesion at a time when Jordan needs to confront tremors of regional instability." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Jordan</span>

Elections in Jordan are for the lower house, known as the House of Representatives, of the bicameral parliament of Jordan, as well as for local elections. They take place within a political system where the King has extensive legislative and executive powers, retaining ultimate political control. The Prime Minister is selected by the King, the PM is then free to choose his own Cabinet. The parliament has quotas: three seats for Circassians and Chechens, nine for Christians and fifteen for women. The electoral system favours rural tribes and those of East Bank origin over urban areas that are primarily inhabited by those of Palestinian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic Action Front</span> Political party in Jordan

The Islamic Action Front is an Islamist political party in Jordan. It is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Nigerian general election</span> General election held in Nigeria

General elections were held in Nigeria on 21 April 2007 to elect the President and National Assembly. Governorship and State Assembly elections had been held on 14 April.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Jordanian general election</span>

General elections were held in Jordan on 20 November 2007. Following the election, Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit and his cabinet resigned, as it normally followed in the Jordanian political system. King Abdullah II appointed Nader al-Dahabi as the new Prime Minister on 22 November to lead a new technocratic government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Senegalese parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Senegal on 3 June 2007. They had originally been planned to be held together with the presidential election on 25 February 2007, but were postponed. Fourteen parties or coalitions participated in the elections, but they were marked by a major opposition boycott. The ruling Sopi Coalition won 131 seats, including all 90 of the seats elected by majority voting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Iraqi parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 7 March 2010. The elections decided the 325 members of the Council of Representatives who would elect the prime minister and president. The elections resulted in a partial victory for the Iraqi National Movement, led by former Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, which won 91 seats, making it the largest alliance in the Council. The State of Law Coalition, led by incumbent Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, was the second largest grouping with 89 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliament of Jordan</span> Bicameral national assembly of Jordan

The Parliament of Jordan is the bicameral Jordanian national assembly. Established by the 1952 Constitution, the legislature consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Egyptian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt in 2010. The first stage was held on 28 November 2010 and the second round was held on 5 December 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Bahraini general election</span>

General elections were held in Bahrain in October 2010 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting was held on 23 October, with a second round on 30 October. Amidst boycotts and arrests, Al Wefaq won 18 of the 40 seats. Four women were elected.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–2012 Jordanian protests</span> Series of protests in Jordan, part of Arab Spring

The Jordanian protests were a series of protests in Jordan that began in January 2011, and resulted in the firing of the cabinet ministers of the government. In its early phase, protests in Jordan were initially against unemployment, inflation, corruption. along with demanding for real constitutional monarchy and electoral reforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–12 Egyptian parliamentary election</span>

Parliamentary elections were held in Egypt from 28 November 2011 to 11 January 2012, following the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, after which the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) dissolved Parliament. However the dissolution was ruled unconstitutional and Parliament was reinstated. Originally, the elections had been scheduled to be held in September 2011, but were postponed amid concerns that established parties would gain undue advantage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bangladeshi general election</span>

General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014.

Parliamentary elections were held in Algeria on 10 May 2012. The incumbent coalition, consisting of the National Liberation Front (FLN) of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the National Rally for Democracy (RND) of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, held on to power after winning a majority of seats. The Islamist parties of the Green Algeria Alliance lost seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Jordanian general election</span>

Early general elections were held in Jordan on 23 January 2013. Voter turnout was reported to be 56.6%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Egyptian constitutional referendum</span>

A constitutional referendum was held in Egypt on 14 and 15 January 2014 and with Egyptians abroad voting between 8 and 12 January. The new constitution was approved by 98.1% of voters. Turnout was 38.6%.

Presidential elections were held in Algeria on 17 April 2014. Incumbent President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was re-elected with 82% of the vote. Issues in the campaign included a desire for domestic stability after the bloody civil war of the 1990s, the state of the economy, the frail health of the 15 year incumbent and 77-year-old president whose speech was "slurred and inaudible" in his only public outing during the campaign, and the less-than-wholehearted support given the president by the normally united and discrete ruling class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Bahraini general election</span>

General elections were held in Bahrain in November 2014 to elect the forty members of the Council of Representatives. The first round of voting took place on 22 November, with a second round on 29 November in the 34 constituencies in which no candidate received a majority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Jordanian general election</span>

General elections were held in Jordan on 20 September 2016 to elect the 18th House of Representatives. The elections were announced after parliament was dissolved by King Abdullah II on 29 May 2016, with the King appointing Hani Mulki as interim Prime Minister following the resignation of Abdullah Ensour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Jordanian general election</span>

General elections were held in Jordan on 10 November 2020 to elect the members of the nineteenth House of Representatives. Voter turnout was just 29.88%, the lowest in a decade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Bahraini general election</span>

General elections were held in Bahrain on 12 November 2022 to elect the 40 members of the Council of Representatives, with a second round in some constituencies on 19 November.

References

  1. ↑ Jordan calls early election Ynetnews, 23 November 2009
  2. 1 2 "Jordan loyalists sweep election – Middle East". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Scepticism mars Jordan polls – Middleeast". Al Jazeera. 8 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Nisreen El-Shamayleh (9 November 2010). "Jordan's parliament without an opposition | Al Jazeera Blogs". Blogs.aljazeera.net. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  5. 1 2 >> Manufacturing consent in Jordan
  6. ↑ AFP (30 July 2010). "AFP: Islamists to boycott Jordan election" . Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Last elections IPU
  8. ↑ "Brotherhood expels members for defying boycott decision". The Jordan Times. 26 October 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  9. ↑ "Voting begins in Jordan elections – Middleeast". Al Jazeera. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  10. ↑ "Violence hits Jordanian election – Middleeast". Al Jazeera. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.