By Khalid Neimat
KARAK - Citizens in Karak acknowledged that the government has begun to build the credibility and confidence that were missing in the aftermath of the 2007 parliamentary elections.
Voters in this southern town, 120km from Amman, also foresaw change in the election scene in their city.
Several Karak residents interviewed by The Jordan Times cited the “successful and transparent” voter registration process as a sign of the government's seriousness about holding free and fair elections for the 16th Parliament on November 9.
“We have seen so far that the authorities have been trying to ensure smooth and transparent preparations for the elections,” Abdullah Majali, a high school teacher from Rabba, a small town approximately 25 kilometres north of the city of Karak, said Wednesday.
He hoped that the government’s approach would persist through the entire process.
“To restore total confidence in the democratic process, we need to see that the entire election is handled the same way” as the voter registration, Majali said.
The government spearheaded an awareness campaign to encourage voter registration, especially among youths, claiming success after it was completed late last week.
According to Tahseen Yousef, an education professor at Mutah University, this feeling of satisfaction over the fairness of the government's measures is a positive thing for a town that has historically witnessed fierce competition and heated campaigns in the election season.
He agreed with Majali that more is needed to build confidence between the executive authority and voters, especially since the last legislative elections three years ago were perceived as far from free and fair.
Officials in Amman have also acknowledged that “mistakes have been made” in previous polls.
The voter registration data and the current elections-related activities carry the seeds of change, as far as political activist Muhannad Jaafreh is concerned.
“Although Karak is labelled as a town ruled by tribal norms, I expect it will set an example of true democracy,” he said, citing more awareness among residents of the need to pick the right people to represent their community.
Another important fact is that women will have more say in deciding the outcome of the elections in Karak, he said.
“We could witness the rise of new powers in our city during the upcoming elections,” he said, indicating that the number of female voters exceeds that of males.
According to Civil Status and Passports Department figures, 16,352 new voters registered for the 2010 parliamentary elections in Karak, of which 8,418 were female and 7,934 male.
The total number of eligible voters in Karak reached 129,466 in 2010, compared with 113,114 voters in 2007 elections.
Accounting for the difference between the number of men and women added to the voter rolls during the voter registration drive, which ended on July 22, the total gap in Karak has increased to more than 11,000 voters in favour of women, according to Jaafreh.
“This will most likely reflect on the turnout at the polls and the outcome of the elections,” he added.
Karak Governor Ali Sharaa agreed that elections hold a special status in the Karak community
“Karak residents are traditionally democratic,” the official told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday.
One aspect of this democratic trend is the “negotiation period” the town is going through, during which groups within the local community are engaged in a dialogue to select their preferred candidates.
The city’s authorities are not interfering in these activities and stand as a non-biased party as these meetings take place all over the governorate, Sharaa said.
Karak is divided into six election districts, where candidates will compete for 10 out of the Lower House’s 120 seats.
