‘75% of 17th Lower House members plan to run in coming elections’

AMMAN — Seventy-five per cent of the members of the 17th Lower House intend to run for the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to a poll by the Civil Coalition for Monitoring Elections and the Performance of Elected Councils (Rased).

After interviewing 120 of the 150 members of the 17th Chamber, Rased said in a report issued Sunday that 70 per cent of the 18 female members of the dissolved House also intend to run for the 2016 elections, slated for September 20.

In its study, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times, Rased said the preliminary voter registration lists have been found to be “precise” by 97 per cent, with only 4.5 per cent of eligible voters still not registered in the lists.

Rased also said that 75 field pollsters have conducted interviews with a sample of 1,800 eligible voters whose names are registered in the preliminary voter lists over two weeks.

According to the survey, 31.5 per cent of the interviewed 1,800 voters said they want to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections while 39.5 per cent of them intend to boycott the vote.

Rased also said that 29 per cent of the interviewed eligible voters said they were still not sure if they would participate in the elections or not, while only 15 per cent of them have verified their registration information.

Eligible voters can contact the Independent Election Commission by sending an SMS with their national numbers to 94444 or call at 117100.

Rased’s report listed what it described as “flaws” in the voter registration lists, citing cases where the polling station assigned for the voter does not match his/her and place of residence.

The report also commended employees of the Civil Status and Passport Department for their work during the Eid Al Fitr holiday.