jordan pulse -
“The King did not accept procrastination, delay, or excuses; thus, he launched initiatives to enhance freedoms and political participation.
The phased approach of the election law allows for the gradual maturation of party culture.
Parties must attract Jordanians based on realistic, non-populist, and achievable programs.
Personality-based parties cannot attract Jordanians.
Party programs should complement or compete with the executive authority.
It is the party programs that attract Jordanians, not the name of their general secretary or founders.
The internal democracy of parties guarantees the continuity of party work.
The next phase may see fewer political parties, especially after the electoral process.
Parties should transparently their lists, based on members’ belief in the party’s programs and goals.
Parties should avoid collective lists that lead to unstable parliamentary blocs.
The current phase is an opportunity for parties to highlight the differences between their positions, orientations, and programs.
The modern and advanced rules and tools in the political modernization phase inspire hope and pride.
Parties have the opportunity to move from the slogan phase to the implementation and then the results phase.
We have a national opportunity to reach a strong and competent parliament that represents a positive environment for dialogue, convergence of opinions, and political directions.
Achieving the goals of modernization depends not only on laws but also on the active participation of Jordanians as a right and duty.
We reach a democratic Jordan by expanding the base of participation and making Jordanian men and women feel they are an integral part of decision-making.
Parties should develop realistic programs that align with the state’s capabilities, identity, and priorities. Since assuming his constitutional powers, His Majesty the King has called for a democratic Jordan where its citizens directly participate in decision-making, without monopolizing political decisions for one group at the expense of other political or social forces, and expanding the base of popular participation. This stems from His Majesty’s absolute belief that the best way to convey the voices of Jordanian men and women and carry their economic, social, and political concerns is through programmatic parties that play this role in parliament. With a forward-looking vision to achieve this goal, His Majesty launched many initiatives to enhance freedoms and political participation, despite all the challenges that the region has faced and continues to face. He did not accept procrastination, delay, or excuses that were raised here and there, so Jordan continued steadily in its political modernization journey. His Majesty the King has repeatedly clarified during his direct meetings, his high directives, and also through his discussion papers, his vision for building a democratic political system that embraces transparency and primarily relies on enhancing and deepening party life as the best option for broader participation, and the necessity of legislative reforms to ensure this.
At the beginning of the new century of the Kingdom, three years ago, His Majesty the King ordered the formation of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System. With his trust in his people and their political components, he tasked this committee, which was the largest in the history of the Kingdom and included all political spectra, to present a draft election law, a draft party law, and the necessary constitutional amendments. His Majesty ordered that the decisions of this committee be made by consensus of all representatives of the different intellectual and political currents within it, to be the cornerstone for building the promising political future for the nation’s children. His Majesty ensured the outputs of the committee when it was formed and ordered not to interfere with it. The draft laws of elections and parties, which have undergone many changes in the past, were protected to be treated like constitutional amendments, meaning they need two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to amend them, unlike other laws that require a parliamentary majority.
Therefore, we now have a party law, an election law, and constitutional amendments, fully protected, allocating 30% of parliamentary seats to political parties, with this percentage increasing to 50% in the subsequent council, and reaching at least 65% in the following council. This phased approach allows for the gradual maturation of party culture and translates His Majesty the King’s commitment to consensual, well-considered, and sustainable modernization
And today, it must be emphasized that the goals of the electoral process should not revolve solely around winning the largest number of parliamentary seats. Rather, these parties should be capable of attracting Jordanians on the basis of presenting realistic, non-populist, and achievable programs, far from the philosophy of rotating leaderships and “personality-based parties.” These programs should either complement or compete with those of the executive authority, paving the way for the experience of “shadow governments” in established democracies and enhancing the checks and balances necessary to reach an advanced model of political life that mirrors the aspirations and ambitions of Jordanians. It is essential that these programs be the party’s banner, the motivation for joining, voting, and working to achieve its goals, not the name of its general secretary or founders, to ensure the continuity of programmatic party work and automatically lead to fewer political parties that clearly represent the right, left, and center streams. The first democratic practice in the democratic process is within the party itself, in the way it transparently and by majority produces its leaders; not by financial ability or the ability to gather votes at the expense of convictions and commitment to the program.
Parties should work with complete transparency when preparing their national lists, and their main criterion should be the ability of these list representatives to translate the visions and programs promised by the party to its voters. The choices for the lists should be based on members’ belief in the party’s programs and goals, not be collective, leading to the formation of unstable parliamentary blocs without a clear vision. It is important to recognize that the success of the political modernization project and the transition to programmatic party parliaments is not measured, nor should it be judged, by the number of parties on the scene or the size of their membership (noting that about 86,000 Jordanian men and women have registered in parties so far, an encouraging number). We have seen in many democratically advanced countries that party membership constitutes only about 2-4% of voters. Yet, they possess a significant and convincing presence, based on programs that reflect the broad popular electoral body, not just their regular party bases. Thus, they achieve representation in parliament based on these programs.
The upcoming elections will be an important juncture in the political modernization journey. However, it is necessary for all of us, citizens, party members, and aspirants, to realize that this stage is the first of an ongoing process that follows a gradual, cumulative approach, building each stage on what was achieved in the preceding one, leading to a rooted party culture based on the foundations of participation and comprehensive representation grounded in solid popular bases, so that the process does not turn into a race to occupy advanced positions with unfeasible immediate promises. Naturally, this stage will be an opportunity for different parties to more clearly highlight the differences between their positions and orientations, with parties engaging in political and parliamentary life. The opportunity will be available for parties to work on translating their programs into reality, moving from the slogan phase to the results, which will facilitate reaching the desired form of the political system in the outcome of the course.
What has been achieved in terms of legislative accomplishments, party environment, popular interaction, and readiness to embark on a parliamentary experience, with different, modern, and more advanced rules and tools, is a source of pride and hope, leading to a strong and competent parliament that balances the executive authority, exercises its duties with honest and systematic oversight, and with modern legislation in line with the developments of the age. It represents a positive and nurturing environment for general national dialogue, convergence of opinions, and political and intellectual differences, based on respect for the right to differ and acceptance of democratic mechanisms for decision-making and policy-making. Naturally, achieving these goals depends not only on the new laws and modern legislative infrastructure, however important they may be; but also on the active participation of Jordanians in the political process, as a right and duty, adherence to the state modernization approach, renewal of political life, and seizing this precious opportunity to shape a brighter future with broader participation for all. By the will of God Almighty, through the political modernization path we witness today, in parallel with the economic reform path that must be focused on, an efficient public administration, emphasis on party programs, and complete distance from factionalism and regionalism, and all narrow or immediate considerations; we all would have responded to His Majesty the King’s vision and the ambition and aspirations of Jordan and its coming generations.
“His Majesty the King’s confidence and absolute faith in modernization represent an opportunity that we all must seize to bring about real change that many Jordanians aspire to, and this will take several years. But the cornerstone today, in making a qualitative leap, is fixed, and it is upon us to build upon it. Let us believe, as His Majesty the King believes, that the path to a democratic Jordan has only one course, which is to expand the base of participation, and that every Jordanian man and woman feels that they are part of the decision-making process that will have a direct impact on them and certainly on future generations. Everyone, especially the youth, must engage in the political process, realizing that they are the most influential bloc, and elevate the edifice of the nation built by the fathers and grandfathers, for their responsibility is great before their country, before His Majesty the King, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. All this work is crowned by the votes of the electorate who will cast their votes for programs that reflect their aspirations and wishes. The first step will begin at the ballot box on September 10, 2024, God willing and with His blessing.”