Jordanians head to the polls tomorrow, Tuesday, to elect a new parliament amid difficult economic conditions and popular anger over the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and its repercussions on tourism, one of the main pillars of the economy.

The elections are being held under a new law passed in January 2022, which increased the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 130 to 138, women’s seats from 15 to 18, and lowered the minimum age for candidates from 30 to 25 years.

The Kingdom was divided into 18 local electoral districts and one general electoral district, with 41 seats allocated to party lists and 97 seats to local districts.

1,640 candidates are competing for the council seats, including 1,258 males and 382 females.

36 parties are running for party seats, most of which are moderate and close to the orientations of successive governments.

According to the Independent Election Commission, the number of registered voters exceeded 5.1 million voters out of a population of 11.5 million in Jordan, including about 2.6 million females and 2.4 million males.

The previous elections were held in November 2020 amid exceptional measures due to the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, and the number of voters at the time was about 1.4 million out of 4.6 million registered voters.

According to the authorities, 54,000 security personnel will be deployed in 1,649 polling stations across the country.

The European Union Mission in Jordan announced the deployment of 38 observers to monitor these elections.

The elections, which are held every four years, include the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and the country's most prominent opposition party, candidates representing Jordan's major clans, independents, leftists, retired military personnel and a large number of businessmen.

The elections come at a time when the country is suffering from the impact of the Israeli war on Gaza, which entered its twelfth month on Saturday, especially in the tourism sector, whose revenues constitute about 14% of the gross domestic product.

Jordan's economy has suffered severely from conflicts in neighboring Iraq and Syria, hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who are an additional burden on the kingdom's limited resources, and then the Corona crisis.

The tourism sector witnessed a boom before the war on Gaza, and the number of tourists last year reached about six million visitors, while revenues amounted to about five billion dinars (about seven billion dollars).

But the war on Gaza has affected the sector and led to a decline in revenues in a country whose public debt is close to $50 billion, where the unemployment rate reached 21% during the first quarter of this year, and whose economy depends heavily on foreign aid, especially from the United States and the International Monetary Fund.

Director of the Al-Quds Center for Political Studies, Oraib Al-Rantawi, said, “The elections are a constitutional entitlement that must not be tampered with. There are countries that are going through wars and are involved in wars and elections are being held in them, and therefore there is no justification for postponing this constitutional entitlement even if the current regional situation is tense.”

According to the constitution, elections must be held, and the new House of Representatives must convene within four months of the date of the dissolution of the previous House, which occurred on July 25.

The elected House of Representatives constitutes one of the two wings of the Jordanian National Assembly, along with the Senate, which will consist of 69 members appointed by the King.

Although most of the candidates chose slogans in their programs that are related to the daily life of the citizen, the war on Gaza remains present in the councils of some representatives, especially the Islamists, in a country where about half of the population is of Palestinian origin.

Former MP and current candidate for the Islamic Action Front, Saleh Al-Armouti, says, “The Gaza war and the Palestinian cause occupy a major place in the Jordanian elections. The eyes and compass are directed to Gaza and Palestine and the massacres taking place there against the brotherly Palestinian people.”

He added, "The elections are a constitutional entitlement that should not be delayed and it serves the Palestinian cause and the region, but I also fear that there will be some reluctance to vote due to these events that the region is going through and the uncomfortable circumstances."

Since the outbreak of the war, Jordan has witnessed demonstrations calling for the cancellation of the peace treaty signed with Israel in 1994.

In early November, Amman recalled the Kingdom's ambassador to Israel, and informed Israel that it would not return its ambassador who had previously left the Kingdom.

The war on Gaza greatly affected the mood of Jordanian voters. Despite the spread of white tents and gathering places that accompany the electoral atmosphere and where coffee, mansaf and kunafa are served to voters, the polling stations did not witness crowding as in previous years.

In a crowded market in central Amman, where pictures of the candidates are hung, Jordanians have mixed opinions about participating in the elections.

Omar Mohammed, a 43-year-old government employee, said, “The daily killing, destruction, and tragedies that are being broadcast on television in Gaza make us feel pain, helplessness, humiliation, and degradation, and make us forget the elections and everything that is happening around us.”

"I feel bitter, I'm not sure yet if I will vote," he added.

Analyst Oraib Al-Rantawi said, "There is a segment of Jordanian public opinion that believes that what is happening in Gaza deserves more attention, and therefore its interest in the elections has declined and it may refrain from participating."

He added, "But there is a second category that includes political forces that have interacted with Gaza since the first day and have been present in the street without absence, such as the Islamists and some leftist and nationalist forces. I believe that they will benefit from the rise in their popularity, but not in a way that raises concerns," considering that "the improvement in the status of these forces and their parliamentary representation will be slight."

Al-Rantawi explained that "the new election law does not allow, whether in terms of the system, the distribution of districts and seats, the threshold for voting, etc., any party, no matter how popular, to obtain a majority of seats or a significant minority with great influence."

Retired Issa Ahmed (65 years old) said, “The elections are an important and vital matter. They are our opportunity to make our voices heard and choose who represents us under the dome of parliament, although inside we rule out that there will be any major change.” He considered that “our country, unfortunately, is surrounded by a series of crises and endless wars, which makes our situation difficult.”