Jordanian king's allies triumph in elections

AMMAN, Jordan -- Allies of King Abdullah II have won more than half of the seats in Jordan's parliamentary elections, final results confirmed Wednesday. Muslim fundamentalists returned to the legislature as the largest opposition bloc.

The victory by allies of King Abdullah II had been expected, since Jordan's political culture heavily favors the tribal leaders who owe allegiance to the ruling Hashemite dynasty.

The leading opposition party, the Islamic Action Front, won 18 of parliament's 110 seats, according to final results posted on the interior ministry's Internet site and read over the state television. Its representation is likely to be boosted by six Islamic Action Front sympathizers or former members who won seats as independents.

Islamic Action Front spokesman Hamza Mansour has accused the government of fraud, saying electoral officers "colluded" with certain candidates. Information Minister Mohammad Affash Adwan said the allegation was baseless.

"Those who have any proof of poll rigging must present them, and they have the right to legal action," Adwan said.

Tribal leaders loyal to the king won 40 seats. Other pro-government politicians, including former legislators and ex-Cabinet ministers, took 22 seats.

Supporters of victorious candidates fired bullets in the air in street celebrations that began in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday.

Prominent among Islamic Action Front winners was Hayat al-Museimi, the top-scoring female candidate in the elections. The law reserves six seats for the female candidates who get highest returns anywhere. Fifty-four women ran in the polls.

The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement, seeks to introduce strict Islamic law, such as veils for women and a ban on alcohol, and the abrogation of Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel. It regards U.S. policy in the Middle East as biased toward Israel and bent on controlling Arab oil wealth.

While the party and its allies will command only 22 percent of the incoming legislative seats, this will allow a measure of opposition to the government's moderate policies.

An embarrassment to the Islamic Action Front is the fact that a dismissed member, Abdul-Munim Abu-Zant, scored one of the highest votes in the elections. He had been sacked for defying orders against running in the election.

The party's position has fallen considerably since 1989, when it and allied candidates won nearly half of the seats in the first legislative elections held after a 22-year hiatus. It lost influence when its representatives failed to deliver on promises to improve living conditions in the impoverished kingdom.

It lost further ground after it boycotted the 1997 elections to protest changes to the electoral law.

The elections were the first in six years. The king dissolved parliament at the end of its four-year term in 2001 and repeatedly postponed elections because of fears that popular anger over Israeli-Palestinian violence in the neighboring West Bank might skew the results. More than half of Jordan's 5.1 million people are of Palestinian origin.

The king enjoys absolute power. He can veto legislative bills, dismiss parliament and rule by decree. An upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, has 40 members appointed by King Abdullah.

But Jordan's parliament, unlike many Arab legislatures, can block bills and dismiss a prime minister and his Cabinet.

Only four registered parties ran in the elections. Apart from the Islamic Action Front, small parties with right, center and left-leaning agendas won a total of three seats. They had fielded a total of 29 aspirants.

The overall turnout was 58.87 percent.

--------

On the Web: www.moi.gov.jo