2013
Jordan Parliamentary Elections
32
ELECTION DAY
Turnout
Voter turnout on Election Day reached 57 percent of registered voters, a figure that was higher than
the 52 to 53 percent turnout in 2010.
Turnout was higher in rural areas than urban centers,
reaching 75 percent in the North Badia, but only 44 percent in Amman. Turnout was low in the
early hours, but picked up considerably in the late afternoon. In a few cases, polling station staff
refused to give information about the number of ballots cast, making it difficult for observers to
gauge turnout
By the end of the day though, this reaction had subsided, with observers able to get
information on the number of ballots cast without any issues. Many losing candidates questioned
the official turnout figures, but IRI’s observers believe that IEC official figures are reflective of
turnout across the country and consistent with the reports of citizen election monitoring
organizations as well as survey research conducted in the pre-election and post-election period
The boycott ultimately was not a factor in the election, losing momentum during the voter
registration period and losing supporting parties as the elections drew near. While initially disputed
by the IAF on Election Day, the IEC’s turnout number seems to have eventually been accepted by
the IAF. In the post-election period, the party has focused on turnout relative to eligible voters,
which was a considerably lower, 36 to 40 percent, depending on which number of eligible voters was
used.
Governorate
Number of
Registered Voters
Number of
Voters
Turnout
Percentage
Amman
707,977
308,110
44
Irbid
451,360
268,284
59
Balqa
190,106
117,670
62
Karak
122,907
87,486
71
Ma’an
36,593
24,786
68
Zarqa
276,444
132,534
48
Mafraq
58,817
43,292
74
Tafileh
38,115
26,831
70
Madaba
71,731
50,112
70
Jerash
72,265
51,939
72
36
Turnout numbers from previous elections must be treated with circumspection. Voter registers used then were
regarded as being inaccurate and therefore unreliable. However, the 57 percent official turnout figure was close to
parallel vote tabulations carried out by RASED and Integrity Coalition.
37
Although polling staff had been giving numbers out to IRI observer teams earlier in the day, in some cases later in the
afternoon they refused, saying they had been told by the IEC polling center representative to stop providing this
information. When IRI observers talked to the IEC representative at one polling center, he said it was true that polling
center heads had been instructed by the DEC commissioner to stop providing this information. He was unsure why this
happened and thought it affected the overall transparency of the administration of elections.
38
International Republican Institute Poll.
Jordan Post-Election Public Opinion Survey
. 4-7 March 2013. p. 22.
39
If the IEC’s number for eligible voters is used (3,242,857), then voter turnout based on eligible voters was 40 percent;
if civil society numbers are used (3,565,139), then turnout was 36 percent.
