2013
Jordan Parliamentary Elections
39
RECOMMENDATIONS
IRI makes the following recommendations to improve the electoral process and contribute to future
debates over the election law.
Electoral Framework
Recommendation 1:
Consider replacing the SNTV system and districting structure.
Allow
voters to cast more than one vote in districts and up to as many votes as there are seats.
Ensure a vote has equal weight throughout the country by establishing uniform
guidelines based on population and then conducting redistricting.
Recommendation 2:
Establish clear financial disclosure regulations and enforcement mechanisms
.
Revisit campaign finance regulations and consider establishing a regulatory body within
the IEC. Both candidates and lists should be required to publicly post all funds spent on
campaigning as well as the origin of those funds. This regulatory body should be
empowered with judicial authority to adjudicate violations on campaign spending.
Recommendation 3:
Empower candidate and list agents and support them with training.
Provide candidate and list agents with the right to monitor the whole election process,
rather than just Election Day. For any future elections it manages, the IEC should
consider partnering with local civil society organizations and international organizations
to provide training for candidate and list agents on the election law and on proper
conduct during the pre-election period as well as on Election Day.
Recommendation 4:
Enfranchise Jordanians living outside the country.
Provide out-of-
country voting to Jordanian citizens of voting age.
This group should be given the right
to both register and vote even though they are not resding in Jordan. In addition,
provide absentee voting to Jordanians inside the country.
Recommendation 5:
Restrict Election Day campaigning
. New procedures should be
established that control Election Day campaigning in a way that curbs any undue
influence on voters. Both polling center staff and police should be instructed to
recognize and stop illegal electioneering on Election Day.
Recommendation 6:
Create consistent rules for invalid ballots:
Make rules consistent for any
ballot marked more than once. For example, stipulate that any ballot with more than
one mark, whether for district candidates or national lists, is invalid.
Recommendation 7:
Improve the voter registration process:
Set future election dates before
voter registration begins. Consider ending the practice of family registration altogether.
If this is not ended, better training should be provided for the CSPD in order to mitigate
against illegal registration practices, such as group registration by an unauthorized
individual.
