Voters went to the polls for a parliamentary election in the Arab kingdom of Jordan on Tuesday, with domestic concerns such as unemployment high on their agenda, although an Islamist party has tried to ride a wave of popular anger about Israel’s war in Gaza to challenge the pro-Western government.
The election was held under a new system introduced in 2022 that aims to promote democratization and increase the role of political parties, while reducing the influence of tribes on national politics.
Under the system, candidates for the 138 seats of the lower house may now run under national parties, rather than as individuals. (Parliament’s upper house as well as key government posts are selected by King Abdullah II.) Results are expected overnight.
The political arm of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, which had boycotted previous elections, used that opportunity to try to win votes, campaigning on a platform of opposition to the Gaza war, and support for an end to cooperation between Jordan and Israel on security and for establishment of a Palestinian state. Many Jordanian citizens are of Palestinian origin, and the country contains the largest proportion of Palestinian exiles anywhere.
“Gaza has given the Muslim Brotherhood an opportunity to amplify their election campaign and slogans,” said Amer Al Sabaileh, a regional security expert and university professor based in Jordan’s capital, Amman. “They exploit the concept of resistance and the entire war on Gaza to their advantage, even promoting the idea that not voting for them equates to normalization with Israel.”
But Mr. Sabaileh said that the results would likely nevertheless yield victory for tribal and pro-government parties because they are deeply entrenched in the political system and because turnout is typically higher in rural areas, their traditional base.
Unemployment, poverty and corruption are among the top domestic concerns of voters in the country of around 11 million people, according to many Jordanians and an opinion poll published earlier this year. The unemployment rate stands at 21 percent, government figures show, but youth unemployment is far higher.
Since Oct. 7, when Hamas led the deadly attack on Israel that set off the war in Gaza, there have been several mass pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The Jordanian government has denounced Israel’s conduct of the conflict and has reaffirmed its position that any transfer of Palestinians from the West Bank is a declaration of war. The country, however, is an important regional ally of the United States and cooperates closely with Israel.
Jordanian government officials have sought to limit expressions of opposition to Israel over the conflict, and Amnesty International reported in April that since October, at least 1,500 people, including many activists, have been arrested on charges of protesting against the war.
Jordan was also one of several countries including the United States that helped shoot down a barrage of missiles and drones that Iran fired at Israel in April. The government described its military action as that of self-defense, rather than something done directly to benefit Israel.
The state has presented the election as a chance to bolster development and democratic reform in Jordan by enhancing the role of political parties, something that appeals to the United States and other allies, Mr. Sabaileh said, adding that it is being framed “as a way to counter the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Turnout in previous parliamentary elections has been relatively low, particularly in Amman and other cities, and some voters said on Tuesday they had wrestled with the question of whether to participate and whether the Parliament would be sufficiently empowered to make a difference in their lives.
Ameen Halaseh, a retired civil engineer, 61, said that he and his wife had voted early in the morning in Amman, motivated by the chance to help establish a system that could, in time, lead to powerful political parties that could play a real role in shaping government policy.
“Most Jordanians love the king and the Hashemite family, but the legislature should be elected by the people to express what people want,” Mr. Halaseh said. “The new law that the government and the Parliament issued is really trying to plant a seed for generations to come to have real elections.”
By contrast, Shahd Fawzi, 30, a medical doctor who works in the capital, said that she did not vote because she lacked confidence that the candidates and parties who were running could institute material change. Among the changes she wanted were greater freedom of expression and more women in politics. But in the short term, she said, “I don’t see there’s any benefits from voting.”
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