Jordan’s municipal elections were hailed by many as a positive step towards political reform but their aftermath was tarnished by deadly celebratory gunfire. While some cheered the outcome of the elections, others mourned the death of two children killed by stray bullets from celebratory gunfire. The elections were marred by road blocks, riots and rallies in the streets of various governorates by supporters of losing candidates. Making matters worse, the Independent Election Commission’s (IEC) website crashed due to heavy traffic, with some attributing the breakdown to hackers’ attempts to manipulate the results. Mayors, municipal council members and governorate councils were elected for the first time under the Decentralisation Law, which gives a voice to the elected council in determining the governorate’s development priorities.
The elections witnessed low turnout in major cities, registering 31.7% voter turnout rate among 4.1 million eligible voters.
Electoral violations were reported in Central Badia district, with four ballot boxes broken and one computer damaged, leading the IEC to cancel elections in Al-Muwaqqar, a district in the Amman governorate. In 2016, parliamentary elections in the same area had a re-vote after eight ballot boxes “were stolen” and returned.
The final results were yet to be announced from the vote August 15.
Full Article: .:Middle East Online:::..
