Jordan to hold parliamentary election this year
Source: Reuters
AMMAN, March 2 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah said on Friday a multi-party parliamentary election would take place by the end of 2007. "I want to assure our people that in 2007 there will be parliamentary elections...," the monarch said in an interview on state television. He urged his compatriots to regard the poll as a milestone on "the road to enhancing democracy in Jordan". The monarch's remarks quashed recent speculation by conservative politicians that he would use his constitutional right to delay the election, due some time this year, after parliament's four-year term formally ends in April. The last election held in June 2003 brought gains for the opposition Islamists after a campaign that was dominated by parochial concerns among tribal candidates. The poll took place under an electoral law that left intact the voting system that favours staunchly tribal constituencies over the largely Palestinian-populated cities, which are Islamic strongholds and highly politicised. This has left the 110-member parliament in the hands of tribal, centrist and pro-government members. Under the constitution, most powers rest with the king, who appoints the government, approves legislation and can dissolve parliament. Many of Jordan's more than five million inhabitants are of Palestinian origin, who settled in Jordan after the creation of Israel in 1948, and refugees of successive Arab-Israeli wars.
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