Jordan: Independents loyal to King Abdullah II have won more than half of the 110 seats in Jordan's parliamentary elections, the first since he succeeded his father five years ago, writes Michael Jansen
Their victory was predicted because electoral districts were redrawn to reduce representation from the capital, Amman, with its concentrations of opposition Palestinians and Islamists, and favour tribal areas, traditional bulwarks of the monarchy.
Tribal figures took 40 seats, while establishment politicians, including former prime ministers, ex-ministers and legislators, secured 22 seats.
A majority of the 765 candidates ran as independents in Tuesday's poll. Only four political parties fielded candidates, the largest being the leading opposition grouping, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which calls for adherence to an Islamic dress and behavioural code, a ban on the drinking of alcohol and abrogation of Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel. The IAF put forward 30 candidates in the expectation that it would win 25 seats. When it took only 18, the IAF's spokesman, Sheikh Hamza Mansour, charged that electoral officers "colluded" with certain candidates by allowing voters to cast more than one ballot.
The three smaller parties, with a total of 29 candidates, secured only three seats.
A Jordanian analyst told The Irish Times that Western-style political parties do not do well because the country has no tradition of Western-style, party-based democracy. The majority of voters choose fellow tribesmen, local clan chiefs and well-known political figures to represent them. The Islamic Action Front, with its religious power base, is the exception.
Of the 54 women who stood, none won a seat. However, the six to poll the highest number of votes will be given the six places reserved for women.
The poll was the first in six years. The king dissolved parliament in 2001 at the end of its four-year term, but postponed the election because of concern that opposition politicians and parties could exploit popular anger over Israel's brutal suppression of the Palestinian uprising in the occupied territories. Palestinians account for more than half the kingdom's citizens.
Voter turnout was low, with only 58.8 per cent of voters casting their ballots.
The king wields absolute power. He chooses prime ministers, dismisses parliament and can veto legislation.
Although Jordan's lower house is constitutionally empowered to block bills and dismiss the government, in practice it rarely challenges the king.