AMMAN: Islamists suffered their first major democratic setback in the Middle East Noy.9 as Jordan’s first multiparty elections since 1956 strengthened the hand of its secular ruler, King Hussein, both at home and in his pivotal role in the Arab Israeli peace process.
The official results released Tuesday showed that the defeat in Monday’s voting was both numerical and symbolic for the Islamist bloc, which has had much influence in Jordan’s contentious 80seat parliament for the past four years and has strongly opposed moves by the king and the Palestine Liberation Organization to make peace with Israel.
The balloting deprived the once powerful Islamic Action Front party of six of the 22 seats it held after Jordan’s last parliamentary voting in 1989. More than half of the 39 candidates entered by the party—which many analysts had considered the nation’s most potent and best organized political force—lost to an assortment of largely pro government tribal leaders, former cabinet ministers, moderate Palestinians and wealthy businessmen.
Article extracted from this publication >> November 19, 1993
