More than 450 Jordanian women announced their intention to run for Parliament in its 19th session, and elections are expected to take place in November 2020, which is a large number in relation to the number of female candidates in previous years, which reached its highest number in 2010, about 252, out of a total of 965 candidates.

The ratio of female to male candidates represents about a third of the number of candidates, which in unofficial statistics reach about 1,300 candidates.

The number of women who have announced their intention to run represents an unprecedented percentage, and is very high in view of the opportunities available to them despite the presence of a "quota" (the number of seats reserved for women) within the election law that allows women to run for 15 seats, in addition to their opportunity to compete in all regions and the 23 constituencies in The Kingdom is among 12 governorates competing for 130 seats.

"Running for the Jordanian parliament is a right for every citizen who has reached 30 years of age, and it is guaranteed by the law for men and women," said lawyer Inaam Asha, a consultant at the Institute for Women's Solidarity.

Inaam Asha (right) and Nahla Al-Jamzawi: The election law reduces the chance for democracy, not just the opportunity for women (Al-Jazeera)

Two opportunities for women

The media, Nasreen Abu Salha - who announced her intention to run in the third district in Amman - explained that the law since 2003 has provided women with two opportunities, through free competition and a quota.

The journalist Abdul Karim Al-Wahsh, a trained expert in the field of human rights, went on to say that the state has intensified support for the participation of women - as indicated by the former MP from Jerash Governorate, Wafa Bani Mustafa - in the system of incentives and support for the participation of parties, which made a preference for lists that include women or youth, increasing 15% on the support the party receives.

Inaam Asha expressed her lack of optimism, saying that "nothing has changed", neither about the law, the culture, nor the performance, and "the results of the next session will not differ from the previous ones."

And the novelist, Nahla al-Jamzawi, the candidate of the first constituency in Amman, agrees with her, who said, "The election law in general and the electoral division of the homeland in the current manner reduces the chance of achieving democracy, not just the opportunity for women."

Economy and Corona

Nisreen Abu Salha attributes this to the low standards, the withdrawal of the elite, the weak performance and the decline in confidence, which encouraged everyone to run for elections, adding, "Not everyone who has expressed their intention to run is serious."

Nisreen Abu Salha: The election law since 2003 has provided women with two opportunities through free competition and quotas (Jordan TV)

Journalist Abdul Karim Al-Wahsh believes that women's opportunities in light of the "cultural stereotypes and the power of male candidates" are weak, pointing out that the conditions for previous sessions "still exist", and adding to them "the economic situation and the circumstances of the Corona pandemic," expected to be reflected in "weakness." The volume of participation and polling. "

Regarding previous sessions, journalist Khaled Al-Qudah - a member of the Jordanian Journalists Syndicate and an expert in training human rights issues - considered that there was a balance between the performance of the two wings of the previous parliament, pointing out that there are women who have proven their presence, but he criticized the "quota" law, which is considered It contributed to the "marginalization of women," describing it as a "distorting remedy for a more distorted reality," and kept women "circling in the orbit of men."

Piggy bank

The judges believe that many political blocs deal with women as "the sum of votes for others," calling for "real representation through equality between Jordanians," which he considered the beginning of the path of reform.

He called on the judges to create opportunities for women to lead the blocs who have demonstrated a presence in the performance, stressing that this constitutes the beginning of the reform, adding that the "journey is long."

However, Nahla al-Jamzawi believes that the quota system, despite her dissatisfaction with it, may guarantee the entry of a number of women into parliament, and she was not afraid that “women will have less chance of success over the competition system,” because of “the male society that excludes women and reduces Its share in various areas of life. "

Regarding the participation of the parties in bringing women to the Council, Al-Jamzawi - the candidate for the National Democratic Alliance - confirmed that the opportunities for participation "were surrounded by the one-vote election law that narrows the space for partisan participation." Justice and representation. "

Wafa Bani Mustafa: When a woman runs for parliament, she does not use money or power, but rather stems from a desire for reform (Al-Jazeera)

Political and cyber bullying

In turn, Wafa Bani Mustafa points to the absence of fairness in the distribution rates according to the population in which women constitute 48.5%, and the percentage of seats does not exceed 15%, in addition to the "injustice" that affects the major governorates (Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid). The whole kingdom depends on the number of votes, but in the major governorates it is relative. "

She said that when women run for parliament, they do not "use money or power" but rather proceed from a desire for reform and change through argument and persuasion, and that any reform without real representation of women "remains deficient."

The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Political Affairs, Ali Al-Khawaldeh, in a seminar organized by the Life Center (Monitor) in March 2020, did not hide the spread of bullying on social media platforms, calling for “legislation to protect women and their personal and social life,” while the Chair of the Women and Family Affairs Committee said in The 18th session, Reem Abu Delbooh, "Violations affect women's empowerment and political participation."

The majority of the participants questioned the ability of women to form single lists due to what was described as traditional culture, "political and electronic bullying against female candidates, and character assassination."