STORY: Voting ends in Jordan's parliamentary elections with over 32-pct turnout
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 10, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 11, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:10
LOCATION: Amman
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a voting station in Amman
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BILAL AL IDREESI, Voter
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): IBRAHIM AL MAANI, Voter

STORYLINE:

Voting in Jordan's first parliamentary elections under a new electoral law designed to improve representation came to an end with a turnout of 32.1 percent, the country's Independent Election Commission said Tuesday.

The counting process has started, said the commission in a press statement.

The turnout was 35.6 percent among male voters, and 29.1 percent among female voters, it said, noting the overall turnout surpassed that in the last elections in 2020, which was 29 percent.

There have been no delays recorded in the opening of polls nor reports of major violations in all electoral districts across the country, Mohammad Khair Al-Rawashdeh, spokesperson for the commission, told a press conference on Tuesday.

The new law, introduced in 2022, increases the number of lawmakers from 130 to 138 and includes provisions to raise the quota for the representation of women and youths.

Under the law, each political party's candidate list must include at least one woman for every three candidates and one individual under 35 among the top five positions. Additionally, the minimum age for parliamentary candidates has been lowered from 30 to 25, aiming to enhance youth participation in governance.

This year's parliamentary elections have been viewed as a critical step in Jordan's political transition, with voters hopeful for significant reform.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BILAL AL IDREESI, Voter
"We need a parliament that is capable of strengthening the country's economy, reducing unemployment, employing young people, and not relying on favoritism and nepotism. This is what we want in a parliament, a parliament of young people who do their duty."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): IBRAHIM AL MAANI, Voter
"Young people are the people who feel the most about what is happening in the country. It is good that young people are running for elections."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Amman.
(XHTV)