With the ongoing attempts to integrate women and youth into parliamentary councils in the Arab region and activate their role more broadly in the political, economic, and civil fields, there have been no noticeable change so far in terms of expanding their participation in political decision-making positions, despite the increase in the percentage of Arab women in parliament to 18%, since 11 out of 22 member states of the League of Arab States adopted the women’s quota system in 2000.
In Jordan in particular, the numbers and percentages announced by the Independent Election Commission in the preliminary local and public lists show an increase in the number of candidates for the 20th parliamentary elections in Jordan, which are scheduled to be held on September 10, 2024, amid continuous calls for the need to expand the political motivation for women and youth in the elections, and raise awareness of the importance of their participation as a priority to achieve social justice, as well as emphasizing the importance of the women’s movement and its role in enhancing the access of competent and qualified women to Parliament.
Jordan’s electoral law allocates 18 seats to women on the quota system and requires parties to allocate at least two seats to women within the first six seats on their lists. This major change in the electoral scene of this rotation came in response to the royal vision in making a qualitative leap in the political lives of Jordanians, and the interest in women and youth, which the committee translated into strengthening their presence in the parliamentary and partisan scene.
With regard to youth participation in elections, the new law introduced what can be considered legislative incentives to encourage young people to participate, not only as voters but also as candidates, as the law lowered the age of candidacy to 25 years instead of 35, and guaranteed the right to join parties and assume leadership positions without fear of liability, in accordance with article IV of the law, which prohibits “holding anyone liable because of their party affiliation.”
Young people have an important role
“Youth and women play an important role in participating in the upcoming elections by interacting positively with the candidates’ platforms, allowing them to support their candidates based on their views and aspirations. I expect the parties to produce national elites of women specifically, but the government, I believe, is required to create jobs to alleviate unemployment and address Jordan’s economic crises.”
With this statement, Obada Al-Wardat, a member of the Political and Civic Participation Policy Lab implemented by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), within the framework of the New Generation project, and in partnership with the Center for Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, shared his view of the reality of the current elections, expressing his desire to participate in the elections. However, he’s still on the fence with regards to “the idea of believing in or questioning the political elites the elections will produce!”
The lab seeks to enhance the concepts of civic and political participation among students of the faculties of political science and law at the University of Jordan, and to provide them with the practical experience that helps expand their work horizons in the future, as well as introducing them to experts and institutions specialized in this field, and help them make their voices heard for policy-making and effective positive communication with decision-makers.
In turn, Abrar Al-Abioni, a young woman who will take part in the electoral process as an observer with a competent authority, said that women have an important role in participating in the elections by overcoming economic and societal conditions and obstacles, and adopting a positive and effective role for those around them, adding: “As I am currently working on a study on elections and parties, there is a noticeable increase in the representation of young people in the general lists, but I hope that it will not just be a formal increase because of the law, and that they will have a real presence.”
Another young man (who preferred not to be named) said: “In general, there are cultural, economic, and political obstacles that prevent the full empowerment of young people, which may include lack of partisan support, weak economic empowerment, and societal pressures that hinder their involvement in political life.”
For her part, Rana Zagha notes that there has been progress in the awareness and knowledge of young people about the importance of joining political parties, as there is no longer fear of participation, because the law guarantees young people “freedom” within the framework of the law and that no party members shall be mistreated, whether in universities or elsewhere.
Women’s movement: calls to close ranks
In this context, members of ARDD’s Al-Nahda Women’s Network presented in its monthly dialogue (Naqsh), different topics and opinions on finding effective mechanisms that contribute to effective women’s participation in society, supporting qualified women to reach parliament, and continuing to work on complicated issues related to women at the national and regional levels.
On the role of the women’s movement in promoting the access of trustworthy and responsible women to the House of Representatives, the members stressed the need for women in Jordan to be ready to go through this experience as voters and candidates, because they are partners in the political process in the country, and because this is part of the rights and duties of active citizenship, and because this partnership gives them a responsibility that they can consider when demanding their rights from the state in general and from the Parliament in particular.
The members also pointed out the role of The Jordanian National Commission For Women in implementing a training program for female candidates, which includes training 300 women who were selected according to criteria that focused on selecting trainees who have sufficient experience in public work as well as a minimum level of political knowledge, explaining that women’s organizations have a major role in following up work on building women’s capacities and refining their leadership skills to develop their performance before and after the elections.
The members also stressed the importance of “closing women’s ranks and raising awareness and empowerment for every citizen who exercises her constitutional right, and therefore it is our responsibility as civil society institutions that work with women to create an atmosphere of intellectual enthusiasm to go through this experience, educate women on the importance of participation, and invest in increasing the number of seats allocated to women to 18 instead of 15.”
As for joining parties, “women’s organizations can contribute to the creation of a methodology that seeks to empower women politicians in general and partisans in particular, as well as seeking to frame feminist and partisan work as parties provide crucial pathways for political participation and citizen engagement in democratic processes.”
With regard to women with disabilities wishing to run for office, one member pointed out that “they need support and empowerment to run in the electoral process, as the restrictions on the participation of women with disabilities in particular in elections, whether through voting or candidacy, are due to several reasons, including: social, cultural, economic, psychological, and others.” She also saw that what some seem to believe about the surrounding political circumstances being unfavorable may not be true, as it’s rather a transitional stage in the lives of women in particular, especially those with disabilities. “No one should make decisions for us as women about something that concerns us. If any decision is made without involving us in the decision-making process, I think that means things are not moving in the right direction”, she said.
An upcoming phase that seeks wider and more effective representation in parliament
In light of the new perceptions and convictions of the Jordanian state, the next phase will witness an improvement in youth and women’s participation in the political and legislative environments and partisan work, where the national goal is to develop the partisan and electoral system, through the presence of strong and influential programmatic parties with national orientations capable of active participation, access to parliament, and participation in governments, which requires broad partnership between the government, civil society organizations, the media, universities, and others.
In conclusion, this process of political transition may promise to create more welcoming climates and spaces for civic and political participation for youth and women, with the continuous efforts aimed at raising awareness of the importance of political and civic participation based on a solid culture with all basic factors such as knowledge production, knowledge of economic and social factors, and investment in human capital, especially if there is an appropriate legislative environment aimed at administrative, economic, and political reform, and that meets the aspirations of the people, partisan actors, and civil society, thus ensuring passage to a new stage based on the participation of women and youth in decision-making.
