Wednesday 31 March 2021

Jordan’s Cabinet Dissolves Local, Municipal Councils

Jordan’s Cabinet Dissolves Local, Municipal Councils

Arab World

Amman - Mohammed Kheir Rawashdeh
A Jordanian woman casts her ballot at a polling station for local and municipal elections in Amman, Jordan. (Reuters/File)

The Jordanian Cabinet decided on Wednesday to dissolve municipal and local councils as well as the council of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM). It also decided to set up ad hoc committees to run the affairs of municipalities and the GAM council during the coming period. The cabinet didn’t make official statements to determine the election date, however sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that they might take place between August and October. The decision reflects the Jordanian authorities’ keenness to commit to the elections’ deadline, despite the challenging conditions in the country and the surge in COVID-19 deaths and infections. Reliable sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government prepared amendments to draft laws related to the local authority for the parliament to discuss next week. The sources said the amendments might lead to reducing a number of council members by expanding the powers of administrative governors and requesting a university degree for membership eligibility . The upcoming municipal elections are expected to take place amid a partial lockdown and the uncertain epidemiological situation in the country. The Independent Election Commission, which is the national electoral commission responsible for administering and supervising elections under the Constitution of Jordan, has prepared measures for the elections that ban gatherings inside polling stations and counting centers. More than 8,000 ballot boxes were distributed over approximately 4,000 centers in the kingdom.



from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2893701/jordan%E2%80%99s-cabinet-dissolves-local-municipal-councils

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