Jordan Sets Sept 10 Date for Parliamentary Election

King of Jordan Abdullah II speaks while making a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 16 February 2024. (Reuters)
King of Jordan Abdullah II speaks while making a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 16 February 2024. (Reuters)
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Jordan Sets Sept 10 Date for Parliamentary Election

King of Jordan Abdullah II speaks while making a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 16 February 2024. (Reuters)
King of Jordan Abdullah II speaks while making a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 16 February 2024. (Reuters)

Jordan's independent electoral commission on Wednesday set Sept. 10 as the date for a parliamentary election after King Abdullah said earlier he hoped the polls would deliver long promised political reforms, state media reported.

The monarch, who visited the electoral commission before the announcement, said the polls would be a major milestone towards trying to modernize the country's political system under revamped laws that encourage licensed parties to run in multi-party elections.

Under the constitution, the nationwide polls are held within four months of the end of a four-year term of parliament that formally ends in November. The country's last election was held in November 2020.

The head of the Independent Election Commission Musa Al Maaytah, who announced the date of the election, said there were more than 5 million eligible voters on its lists.

The election comes as the country is reeling from the impact of the war in Gaza that has hit tourism, a main pillar of the economy, and affected businesses.



Trump's Syria Policy Dominates Opening of 'Astana 22' Talks

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia and Iran meet in New York in September. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia and Iran meet in New York in September. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Trump's Syria Policy Dominates Opening of 'Astana 22' Talks

The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia and Iran meet in New York in September. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
The foreign ministers of Türkiye, Russia and Iran meet in New York in September. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

The 22nd round of the Astana peace talks on Syria kicked off in Kazakhstan’s capital on Monday. The talks, held over two days, brought together Syria’s government, opposition and guarantor states Russia, Iran and Türkiye, with observers from Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the UN.

The talks, initiated by Russia and supported by Türkiye and Iran, will focus on key issues such as the potential shifts in US policy toward Syria under President-elect Donald Trump, according to Russian presidential envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev.

The talks will also address regional tensions, including the spread of the Gaza conflict into Lebanon, ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Syria and concerns over the risk of the regional conflict expanding further.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov stressed the importance of meeting before the end of the year to set priorities for Syria and the region.

This comes after the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed a “secret” Russian-Syrian agreement to limit the movement of Hezbollah, Iranian forces and Iranian-backed militias in Syria.

As well as the Syrian conflict, the talks will cover issues such as prisoner releases, missing persons, humanitarian conditions, international support for peace efforts, Syria’s reconstruction and the return of refugees.

The current round of talks will focus on the political and military situation around Syria.

Lavrentiev said Russia will do everything possible to prevent the Gaza conflict from spreading to Syria.

Potential changes in US policy toward Syria under Trump are a major topic for discussion among the ceasefire guarantors, he added. Russia will focus on concrete actions and proposals, rather than just statements, especially as expectations grow that Trump will follow through on his pledge to withdraw US troops from Syria.

This move could shift the balance of power and affect the actions of various parties. The withdrawal is a key demand for Russia, Iran and Türkiye, the three guarantor states of the Astana process.