Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN3078
2003-05-22 14:59:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

JORDAN ELECTION MISCELLANY: END OF WEEK ONE

Tags:  PGOV PREL JO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

221459Z May 03
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003078 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN ELECTION MISCELLANY: END OF WEEK ONE

REF: AMMAN 2559-02

Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

This cable provides a wrap-up of election-related stories in
the run-up to Parliamentary elections on June 17.

------------------------------------
TOUJAN FAISAL'S APPLICATION REJECTED
------------------------------------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 003078

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2013
TAGS: PGOV PREL JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN ELECTION MISCELLANY: END OF WEEK ONE

REF: AMMAN 2559-02

Classified By: DCM Gregory L. Berry for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)

This cable provides a wrap-up of election-related stories in
the run-up to Parliamentary elections on June 17.

--------------
TOUJAN FAISAL'S APPLICATION REJECTED
--------------


1. (U) At the end of the May 18-20 registration period, 821
candidates had registered nationwide for the 110 Lower House
seats to be contested. In a move that surprised few, the
Amman governor and the head of the elections committee
rejected Toujan Faisal's application for participation in the
Parliamentary elections (see reftel). The election law
states that no candidate sentenced to more than a year in
prison for a non-political crime is eligible to run. Faisal
was sentenced by the court to serve one-and-a-half years in
prison last year for non-political crime. Even though the
King eventually pardoned her, her conviction still stands.
In a public statement, Faisal admitted that she knew she
would not be granted permission to run, but wanted to force
the issue publicly. Faisal has appealed the decision and the
court is expected to rule within three days.

-------------- --------------
MINISTRY OF INTERIOR ACCUSED OF FAVORING CANDIDATES
-------------- --------------


2. (C) The Minister of Interior denied allegations on Jordan
television (JTV) that his Ministry provided some candidates
with constituency lists of their districts. The constituency
list would allow the candidates to direct their efforts
towards the heads or leaders of certain key families or
tribes. In a three week campaign period, such lists would
provide those candidates with an advantage over those who
rely on door to door campaigning. Nuha Ma'aita, a candidate
in the third district, raised the issue with Poloff on May

20. She told Poloff she did not receive a list, but claimed
at least one candidate in her district had. She opined that
since elections themselves would be much more transparent
this year, the GOJ was stacking the deck before election day.



3. (U) Poloff has heard some anecdotal stories of the GOJ's
tight control of the voter I.D. cards. One candidate
reported that after the recent death of her father, she had
to turn in his voter I.D. card before the government would
issue a death certificate.

--------------
CANDIDATE PROFILES
--------------


4. (C) Poloff met with Rashed al-Breisha, a former member of
parliament running in the first district of Amman. His major
campaign slogan is "your brother, Attorney Rashed", and he
estimates he needs 4,000 to 5,000 votes to win. The major
issues concerning his constituents are unemployment,
corruption, the recent increase in taxes and prices,
temporary laws and the current cabinet. He believes the
Islamic Action Front (IAF) party will win 18-21 seats in the
next Parliament. Al-Breisha is the consummate politician and
told Poloff, "if my constituents require that I attack my
father, if that is what it takes to win, I will attack my
father." To underscore the point, Rashed explained, he feels
compelled to attack the Jordanian Government and the U.S. to
compete with the IAF. He would have preferred holding
elections around November to allow anti-government and
anti-US sentiment to subside.

--------------
BANNERS: CAMPAIGNS FOCUSING ON LOCAL ISSUES
--------------


5. (SBU) In a May 22 drive around Amman covering the second,
third, and fifth election districts, a snapshot of campaign
banners--the main vehicle of campaign advertising--suggests
that local issues, not regional issues are the focus of the
campaign. Only one in roughly four banners alluded to
Palestine, including "Jordan and Palestine are twins" and
"Support the Intifada". Several banners focused on economic
issues or the need for better governance. Examples include:
"Freedom, education, and democracy"; "No to nepotism"; and
"No to bureaucracy, no to corruption." Some banners offered
a more esoteric message such as: "Hand in hand, we will stay
together."


6. (SBU) Poloffs saw only two banners attributed to IAF
candidates, one with Koranic verses and the message that
"Islam is the solution", and a second that called for "No
occupation of Iraq"--the only Iraqi-related banner Poloffs
saw. By the end of the first week of campaigning, Polfsn
noted that the number of banners is far less than what was
seen during the 1997 elections. Certain areas, such as
downtown, which was a hub of election-related activity during
the 1997 elections, had very few banners.


7. (U) JTV on May 21 began a program to allow candidates to
meet with some of their constituents to discuss elections
issues. The program allows candidates to introduce
themselves, present their ideas, and answer questions
directly from constituents. So far, the program has covered
Aqaba and Ma'an.

GNEHM