Jordan: MB political arm remains committed to boycotting elections

The Jordanian government’s recent proposal to the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot in Jordan has apparently failed in its bid to convince the group to participate in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.

The MB’s political arm the Islamic Action Front asserted they will continue to boycott the election until a new election law is formed to satisfy the opposition. Hamza Mansour the IAF leader maintained that although discussions were amiable the regime fell short of their demands.

PM Samir Rifai and other cabinet ministers, engaged in discussion with a MB delegation assuring the Islamists that the polls would be held in 'maximum fairness and neutrality. According to sources this was not enough to appease them. Mansour asserted however the IAF was ready to continue the dialogue with the government with a view to arriving at a new election law 'acceptable to all political parties in the country'.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II had dissolved the lower house of parliament last November after receiving reports that the assembly had failed to perform its duties and supervisory jobs.