Jordan: Unexpected victory for Islamists in elections

In the local elections in Jordan on 15 August 2017 there were two main surprises: the low turnout - only 31% of the 4.1 million eligible voted - and the high number of votes for Islamists. According to Al-Monitor reporting on 22 August 2017: "In addition to electing members of more than 100 municipalities across the kingdom, voters were asked to select‚ the members of 12 newly formed governorate councils. The‚ aim of the councils‚ is to decentralize government decisions and empower local representatives to plan and approve projects and services at the governorate‚ level." The political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), announced that it had won 76 seats nation-wide, including the presidency of three municipalities. The gains made by Islamist politicians is even more remarkable considering the controversial election law, which, as explained by Reuters (in an article dated 15 August 2017) magnified "the clout of sparsely populated tribal areas which form the backbone of support for the monarchy at the expense of larger cities where Islamists and Jordanians of Palestinian origin have a strong presence". Henriette Kats, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, thinks this is a striking development: "Jordanian society is becoming increasingly polarized between liberal groups and radical Islamic elements. The IAF is known to oppose measures that are beneficial to religious minorities such as Christians; the schoolbook reforms that were introduced last year are a good example (as reported by Al-Monitor on 21 September 2016). The August election gains are likely to put increasing pressure on the Christian community and on others holding views not in line with radical Islam."