IEC: 3 parties eligible of full public funding

Three parties will receive full public funding of JD120,000 under the 2023 financial contribution bylaw regulating support for political parties, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said Monday. IEC Party Register Secretary-General Ahmed Abu Zaid told Petra in an interview that 25 party lists participated in the 2024 parliamentary elections, 18 of which were eligible of funding. Of the 18 lists, which passed the threshold of half or more of votes in a public constituency, 10 lists won seats in the 20th Jordanian parliament, but the other eight, who did not win any seats will receive a minimum funding of JD30,000, said Abu Zeid. The registry, he said, receives new applications to join or quit political parties around the clock, including MPs who won seats in the September 10 elections who resigned from their parties on local lists in order to switch to other parties. These resignations, some of which were decided and others were under consideration, are forms of political work under the dome with the aim of forging alliances and parliamentary blocs, and are the natural choice of parties and their members, he pointed out. Abu Zeid said five applications to establish new parties were on the table and have gained the "parties under establishment" status, adding that the number of officially registered parties stood at 38. Under Article 4 of the Financial Contribution bylaw, a party is worthy of JD30,000 funding if it achieves 50 percent or more of votes in a public constituency, a threshold stipulated by the election law. A party can also get JD10,000 for each seat won in the parliamentary elections, plus 20 percent or JD2,000 for a winner from the categories of women, youth between the ages of 25 and 35, and persons with disabilities. Source: Jordan News Agency