AMMAN — Political experts have praised the Parliament’s decision approving an amendment
on the
Political Parties Law, which raises the number of party founders from
150 to 1000, as part of recommendations by the Royal Committee to Modernize the
Political System.
اضافة اعلان
The Parliament passed the amendment last week during
a session chaired by
Lower House Speaker Abdul Karim doghmi and attended by
Prime Minister Bishr Al-Khasawneh and cabinet members.
“This is a good step towards reforming the political
parties system,” said political expert Hassan Al Momani, adding that the
political parties law should not be static, but should evolve, voicing
agreement with raising the number of party founders; a step that would stop
fragmentation and strengthen any Jordanian political party’s base.
Momani believes that the move would help parties
reach popular masses and broaden the political arena’s base, and eventually
persuade and attract more people to join a party. He believes that having sparked a debate, the
decision must have been worthwhile and would surely bring a brighter future to
the political parties’ scene. “It may be too early to judge the parties’ future
at this time,” he said, “but the current times are promising.”
Momani stated that it is incorrect to highlight
parties as if they are the only levers that produce political life but, rather that they
are “an important part of a whole,” As a result, he added that all parties
should work together within Jordan’s political space to extend political
culture and raise awareness about the potential positive influence of these
political institutions.
Strategic expert
Amer Al Sabaileh also supported the
amendment, saying that in order to provide a conducive incubator to effective
political parties and end the phenomenon of spawning parties that have no real
presence on the political scene, a party must have a broad base.
Sabaileh said that
having powerful parties is the product of open and public political movements,
and to get there it is necessary to focus on creating an encouraging
environment through actions and measures, not just laws and decisions. “In
order to be successful, the change process must be integral,” he said.
Jordan University’s deputy president and political
expert Zaid Eyadat told
Jordan News that the move aligns with the Royal
Committee’s recommendations, “because reducing the number of a political
party’s founding members has always had a negative impact on the seriousness of
their work.”
Eyadat said that since the new law stipulates that a
party gains 41 seats in the House in the next parliamentary election,
increasing the number of founding members will allow party members to compete
for those seats and assume serious responsibilities, thereby contributing to more effective political work in Jordan.
Eyadat believes that the main issue against political
parties is the prevailing culture and society’s perception, adding that the
partisans themselves, with their generic political agendas, have failed to
persuade
Jordanians of their efficacy to this day. “Efforts of parties should
be geared towards rising to a responsible level, to constantly renew their work
mechanisms, to consolidate democracy, and to present real and realistic action
plans that contribute to resolving citizens’ issues.”
“Also, parties should not be viewed as a
security threat, he said, and “the government should demonstrate, through
practice, that partisanship is legally authorized and is a national work par
excellence.” he said
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