Political parties to fair badly in municipal elections

By Paul Tate

AMMAN — High voter turnout is expected in next month’s municipal elections with independent candidates winning out over political parties, according to a survey released on Sunday.

The poll, conducted by the Jordan Centre for Social Research, found that voter participation in some governorates will reach as high as 70 per cent.

It also revealed that almost two-thirds of respondents intend to vote for independent candidates as opposed to representatives of political parties, consistent with voting patterns in previous national elections.

The survey sampled a total of 1,500 individuals aged 18 years and above in the municipalities of Irbid, Karak and Zarqa. Questions ranged from the level of satisfaction with public services to the degree of interaction between constituents and their representatives.

According to pollster Musa Shteiwi, the renewed interest on the part of constituents in the July 31 elections is directly related to the recently approved Municipalities Law, which paved the way for the first fully elected councils in eight years.

The legislation, however, does not extend to Amman, which will continue to have an appointed mayor and half-appointed municipal council as was the case under the old law.

Shteiwi said this resulted in voter apathy, with participation in both Irbid and Zarqa falling below 50 per cent in 2003, while Karak recorded a 56 per cent turnout.

“The new law is a positive development. It restored the right of citizens to choose their representatives, lowered the voting age from 19 to 18 and provided a 20 per cent quota for women,” he said.

Voter turnout in Irbid is expected to reach 71 per cent next month, followed by Zarqa (68 per cent) and Karak (61 per cent), according to the poll.

However, despite renewed interest on the part of citizens, the survey revealed a general dissatisfaction about the performance of elected representatives and political parties.

Almost two-thirds of respondents in the three municipalities said they intend to vote for independent candidates, citing reasons relating to family and tribal affiliations.

Shteiwi said the findings do not bode well for the country’s transition to democracy.

“Citizens vote for independent candidates because the current political parties are weak and their ideologies are too narrow. Unless these parties merge and become more representative, the future doesn’t look good,” he said.

Less than 10 per cent of respondents said they would vote for a political party. Out of these, 64 per cent in Zarqa said they would vote for the Islamic Action Front (IAF), as compared to 45 per cent in Karak and 43 per cent in Irbid.

Most of the country’s 34 political parties, apart from IAF, which has 15 deputies in the Lower House, have less than 500 members.

The survey also revealed the absence of a general participatory culture resulting from a lack of accountability on the part of elected representatives.

More than 90 per cent of respondents in the three municipalities said they had never been contacted by a council member once elected.

“The level of contact and/or interaction between constituents and their representatives is generally low, with contacts being one way, i.e. constituents contacting their elected representatives,” said the survey, adding that once elected into office the representatives “neglect regular contact.”

The poll was carried out with the support of the International Republican Institute.