2013
Jordan Parliamentary Elections
16
While exact figures are not readily available, Jordan’s citizenry is roughly split between East Bank
Jordanians, who have inhabited the country since before the 1948 war between Israel and its Arab
neighbors, and Palestinian-Jordanians, who came to Jordan as refugees during and after 1948. East
Bankers are thought to account for about half of Jordan’s estimated population of 6.4 million
peopl
with Jordanians of Palestinian origin making up the other half
Palestinian-Jordanians
have tended to concentrate in urban centers such as Amman and Zarqa, while most East Bankers
have continued to reside in their rural ancestral homelands in the north and south of the country.
While East Bankers make up Jordan’s political elite, Palestinian-Jordanians have tended to be
reluctant to participate in national politics and uncertain about their political role within Jordanian
society. The SNTV system, by giving voters one vote when their primary preference is to vote along
tribal lines, has abetted underrepresentation of many citizens. This system is combined with unequal
districting, particularly in urban areas like Amman, Irbid and Zarqa. In Amman, for example,
112,000 inhabitants were represented by one parliamentary seat; whereas the more rural governorate
of Balqa was allocated one seat for every 40,000 residents
Similarly, in Tafileh, one seat per 25,000
citizens was allocated. These inequities were reflected in voter registration, where Irbid’s seventh
district averaged one seat per 48,701 voters, while Ma’an’s second district averaged 6,733 voters per
seat, giving a vote in Ma’an almost eight times the weight of a vote in Irbid.
Age distribution trends in Jordan are troubling as the population is young, with more than 65
percent under 30 years of age, and mostly urban, with about 70 percent of residents living in urban
areas. Urban youth have been sidelined by the so-called one man, one vote system combined with
societal preference to defer to older men in political matters. In the newly elected parliament, out of
150 members, only three are under the age of 35 and only seven are under the age of 40.
The quota system remains crucial to minority representation in parliament in light of the tribal
nature of Jordanian politics and political parties’ immature development. Minority communities
include Circassians, Chechens and Armenians, and make up less than five percent of the total
population. Christians, including Armenians as well as indigenous and those of Palestinian origin,
make up three to five percent of the population. Under the current, as well as the previous election
law, Christians are allotted nine seats, giving them slightly more representation in parliament than
their percentage of the population, while Circassians and Chechens are allocated three seats
combined. Many members of minority groups believe that without access to quota seats they would
have no representation in the parliament; in fact, no minority candidates were elected outside the
quota system in these elections.
9
Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics.
Population & Growth Estimation
. 2012.
>.
10
According to a report from the Brookings Institution, the number of Jordanians of Palestinian origin could reach as
high as 70 percent. Shaikh, Salman.
Now the Pressure’s Building on Jordan
. Spring 2012.
.
11
According to a report from the International Crisis Group, 25 seats are distributed across Amman’s 2.8 million
citizens, while 10 seats are given to the rural governorate of Balqa with 400,000 inhabitants. Similarly, four seats are
given to Tafileh Governorate which has only 100,000 inhabitants. International Crisis Group, p. 7.
