2013
Jordan Parliamentary Elections
35
While there were no major, systemic violations observed in the closing and counting processes, IRI’s
delegates did observe a number of shortcomings. In particular, there was a lack of uniformity in
determining validity of the ballots. While national list ballots were considered invalid if more than
one list was marked, district level ballots were still considered valid if more than one candidate was
marked. In these cases, the IEC decided to give the vote to the candidate listed highest on the
ballot, which created controversy among losing candidates who were placed lower on ballots. In
addition, in isolated instances, ballot boxes were not properly handled, as one candidate provided
convincing evidence that revealed boxes left opened outside one DEC in Balqa.
At a polling center in Karak’s sixth district, supporters of one candidate took over the polling center
and interfered with the voting and counting process in a case that was adjudicated through the
courts. IRI observers received direct confirmation of these actions from the candidate himself who
stated that his supporters had indeed interfered in the process by taking voter cards from voters
lined up outside polling centers and delivered them to the appropriate polling station inside the
polling center.
The candidate defended the actions of his supporters by saying it was only done to speed up the
process. The local IEC representative, responsible for the oversight of the center, and a prominent
civil society stakeholder, disagreed, stating to IRI observers that the interference went far beyond the
taking of voter cards to expedite the voting process and included filling out ballots for voters and
placing them in the ballot box while instructing the head of the polling station to sit in the corner
until his signature was needed after the vote counting. The IEC coordinator and civil society
stakeholder both said that police were called to the area by the governor but did not intervene
because the previous week a student had died during a protest due to the tear gas used by the police.
In response to this incident, another candidate filed an official complaint with the Amman Court of
Appeals that annulled the results due to the reported abuses and manipulations carried out on
Election Day and called for the IEC to hold new elections in the district. This was the first time in
Jordan’s history official results had been nullified and a re-election called for. The court decision
signaled that in Jordan there was now judicial redress for election malfeasance.
Security
While security services were able to maintain calm outside most polling centers, clashes occurred
outside polling centers in Ajloun, Balqa, Jerash, Karak, Ma’an and Tafileh during the counting
process as results began to be posted. Police forces, however, were able to restore calm, effectively
intervening to disperse angry and violent protests, in some instances, by using tear gas. Small clashes
between supporters of tribal candidates in Balqa, Irbid and Karak continued in the days after
elections, but were eventually resolved through inter-tribal mediation.
