Project to bolster political parties concludes

AMMAN — Amending the by-law governing political party financing to become based on representation and performance in local councils and parliamentary elections will encourage parties with similar views to form coalitions, a specialised project recommended.

At an event held on Tuesday to mark its conclusion, the “Towards a Multi-Party Democracy: Strengthening the Role of Political Parties in Jordan’s Democratic Reform Process” project recommended amending the Elections Law to closed proportional lists, increasing the number of seats allocated for women and changing the vote counting mechanism.

Endorsing these amendments will put an end to internal conflicts that have emerged within political parties over financial issues under the current law, said Oraib Rantawi, the director of Al Quds Centre for Political Studies, the implementer of the project.

In his presentation of recommendations at the conclusion of the 50-month project, Rantawi said the government has to reach a settlement with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front “once and forever”.

Rantawi explained that pluralism entails the inclusion of Islamist parties, which for their part must act upon a set of fundamental rights and take part in the fight against extremism.

Generally, the weakness of internal structures of political parties has reduced their opportunities to further benefit from the project, said the political expert, adding that several parties do not practice democracy internally. 

The project has trained over 500 members of political parties across the Kingdom, almost half of those who have received training are women.

The project, which showcased peer-to-peer experiences in Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia, also witnessed the launch of six books that tackled several issues related to political life in Jordan and political parties.

Meanwhile, Rantawi cited a challenge in the increase of the number of political parties from 24 parties when the project started in 2013 to 50 licensed political parties and 23 others under establishment in 2017.

“The project has established for open dialogue among political parties, and between political parties and the government,” said Rantawi. 

Youth Minister Hadithah Khreisha commended the inclusion of political parties, legislative and executive authorities, civil society organisations, universities and youth in the project.

“The time has come to encourage everyone’s participation in political life, particularly the young generation,” he said, adding that young Jordanians will have a big role in the future of political parties, despite the “shadows of older discouraging mentalities” and the weakness of parties’ platforms. 

For his part, EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana highlighted the role of the project in strengthening political parties by helping them develop the needed infrastructure.

He cited the project as part of the EU’s efforts with the government in advancing good governance, human rights and the rule of law, adding that women and youth are an essential component of these efforts.

Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Manuel Schubert said that national ownership and multinational partnership are key for the success of political reform, adding that the project has been a success in a country surrounded by political conflicts.

The project was co-funded by the EU and implemented by Al Quds Centre for Political Studies, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and the Jordanian Centre for Civic Education Studies.