Jordanians Vote In Election Overshadowed By Gaza War

Muhammad Irfan Published September 11, 2024 | 01:30 AM

Amman, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Sep, 2024) Jordanians voted Tuesday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by the Gaza war and concerns over a slump in tourism, a sector vital to the kingdom's economy.

It is the first vote since a 2022 reform increased the number of seats in the house, reserving more for women and lowering the minimum age for candidates.

Despite these efforts to modernise the legislature, voters and candidates said the war in the Gaza Strip dominated the election.

After voting, Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh said he hoped the turnout would not be affected by "this brutal Israeli aggression".

"We hope that the vote will be high and befitting of this national occasion," he said.

Independent Election Commission chairman Musa Maaytah later told a news conference he expected turnout "to be around the average of the previous elections in 2020 and 2016" when it was "around 30 percent".

Polls closed at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), with the electoral authority announcing a turnout of about 32 percent.

Chief European parliament observer Zeljana Zovko had earlier told reporters voting was "going smoothly".