Jordan Islamists hail king's commitment to hold polls this year

Mar 3, 2007, 19:47 GMT

Amman - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), Jordan's largest political party, on Saturday welcomed King Abdullah II's assertion that general elections would be held on time later this year.

But the IAF - the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood movement - also urged the government to conduct the polling process in accordance with a new election law.

'We appreciate the monarch's pledge to hold the elections later this year as provided for by the constitution, and urge the government to speed up the enactment of a modern and fair election law that replaces the present one which is rejected by the public,' the IAF Secretary General Zaki Bani Ershaid said in a statement.

King Abdullah, currently visiting the United States, told the state-run Jordan television in a recorded interview Friday that both parliamentary and municipal elections would be held later this year.

He was responding to scepticism by the Islamic-led opposition parties that the government of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit could be mulling a postponement due to the political circumstances surrounding Jordan, a reference to Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

King Abdullah did not set a specific date elections, but urged steps by the lower house of parliament to enact laws needed to push forward the country's 'political development and democratization.'

IAF official Bani Ershaid said, 'The ball is now in the court of the government, which should introduce into parliament a draft election law that responds to the royal and public desire in seeing the required change materializes.'

He recalled that King Abdullah had directed Bakhit in the designation letter upon which he formed his cabinet in November 2005 to ensure the enactment of a new election law.

Opposition parties and independent politicians charge that the present election law had promoted tribalism and factionalism in the make-up of the lower house of parliament and prevented parties from having majority or forming coalitions that return governments with clear policy programmes.

The IAF currently has 15 deputies at the 108-member lower house of parliament.