A handout picture released by the Jordanian Royal Palace on July 28, 2021 shows Jordan's King Abdullah II speaking during the 3rd Trilateral Summit between Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan, in Athens. (YOUSEF ALLAN / JORDANIAN ROYAL PALACE / AFP)
AMMAN – King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday received a report from the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System that recommended amending the country's laws on elections and political parties.
During a meeting with the committee members, the king said that the democratic model Jordanians seek is an embodiment of the political will and national interest, the Royal Hashemite Court said in a statement.
King Abdullah II of Jordan noted the recommendations will be pivotal in implementing tangible advancement in platform-based partisan parliamentary work, calling on political parties to develop their tools to win over voters and to meet their aspirations in the parliament
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King Abdullah II noted the recommendations will be pivotal in implementing tangible advancement in platform-based partisan parliamentary work, calling on political parties to develop their tools to win over voters and to meet their aspirations in the parliament.
The king also pointed out that the political, economic, and social empowerment of youth and women is at the forefront of the modernization process.
He stressed the importance of developing channels that guarantee the engagement of all segments of society in public affairs, to ensure active and productive political participation, as well as developing accountability measures.
Among its recommendations, the committee proposed to adopt a mixed electoral system that includes two levels of representation: national general districts and local districts.
The country would be divided into 18 local electoral districts and one national general district, the committee suggested, adding that 41 seats, out of a total of 138 seats, would be allocated for the general district.
The national electoral lists would be exclusive to political parties which pass a threshold of 2.5 percent of the total number of voters in the national general district.
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