Opposition gains seats in Jordan's parliamentary elections

Early tallies show Islamic Action Front won one fifth of the 138 seats but pro-government deputies still dominate assembly

Electoral staff members empty a ballot box at a polling station after voting ended during parliamentary elections in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

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The religious opposition have made gains in Jordan's parliamentary elections, an official tally of the votes found on Wednesday, but pro-government deputies remain dominant after the poll allowed more room for participation of political parties.

All significant power in Jordan is with King Abdullah, who has ruled since 1999. The kingdom has a military pact with Washington and is a main recipient of US aid.

The Islamic Action Front added 24 seats to the eight it already held and will now make up one fifth of the assembly, according to results released by the Independent Elections Commission and tallies by pro-government media.

Parliament will now have 138 members, up from the previous 130.

Moussa Al Maayta, head of the Independent Elections Commission, said Tuesday's poll was "in line with international standards", with the right to vote "guaranteed for every Jordanian".

Turnout was 32 per cent, the commission said, a 2 per cent rise from 2020 but a drop on 2016's 35 per cent. It could be another day before all results are announced officially but Wednesday's tallies indicate the legislature will remain dominated by loyalist political groups and members of tribes that form a bedrock of support for the monarchy and underpin security forces and the public sector.

The elections were the first in Jordan under a new system aimed at boosting party representation, amid public anger towards Israel and long-running domestic economic pressures.

On Sunday, a lorry driver from Jordan shot dead three Israelis at the Allenby Bridge border crossing into the occupied West Bank, prompting Israeli authorities to close all three land entry points from the kingdom.

Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994, founded in part on bilateral security co-operation. The treaty led to commercial dealings with Israel and more western aid.

The new electoral system allocated 41 seats as a single, cross-country district but still limited the rise of large parties by giving smaller groups a bigger influence. The remaining 97 seats are mostly reserved for tribal regions with disproportionally large representation, compared with the kingdom's main cities, where a large ratio of the population are descendants of Palestinian refugees.

Amman, home to 45 per cent of Jordan's 11 million people, holds only 14 per cent of parliamentary seats. Zarqa, with a population of 2 million, is allocated 10 seats, slightly more than the eight given to the central governorate of Karak, which has only 375,000 inhabitants.