More than 65 percent of Jordanians are under the age of 30, and 43 percent of potential voters are 18 to 25. Those demographics carry the potential for accelerated political reform, provided the country's young people, who have historically been excluded from the political process, decide to make their voices heard.
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CNN
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Published Date:
03/01/2013
Since the 1990s, when pro-democracy grassroots organizations in countries across Africa overthrew authoritarian regimes, much political progress has been made on the continent. However, some authoritarian leaders still remain in place, while countries like Mali that have had a history of democratic progress over the years have also shown major backsliding. More recently, the Arab Spring changed the political landscape in North Africa, but some groups worry about newly elected leaders backsliding into undemocratic practices.
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In Syria's northern province of Aleppo, the war is far from over. Yet civilians are planning a dramatic gesture: an election for a civilian government.
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Meanwhile, much of the public seems disengaged. NDI’s recent pre-election assessment notes the general indifference about the elections from citizens across the political spectrum in Jordan.
The 2011 change in Yemen’s government has brought with it a first for the country – the chance for ordinary Yemenis to publicly question their political leaders about the economy, unemployment, transitional justice and other issues on their minds.
Though few Mauritanians are able to have a say in their country’s political life, one group of dedicated women is determined to be heard. The Advocacy Initiatives Group for Women’s Political Participation (Groupes des Initiatives de Plaidoyer pour la Participation Politique des Femmes, GI3PF), a nonpartisan organization comprising women from all walks of life, is committed to encouraging women’s participation in Mauritanian politics at the local and national levels.
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Observers who for the first time were allowed to monitor elections in Jordan said Friday that the vote showed a marked improvement from past polls, but there is still some way to go.
An international team fielded by the National Democratic Institute, made up of 50 observers from 29 countries, highlighted "shortcomings and irregularities," as well as certain systemic problems.
New York Times | Link to story »
The new 150-seat Parliament here will include members arrested just days before the elections on charges of vote-buying, and a cast of government loyalists will dominate a body long seen by Jordanians as being as corrupt as it is inept.
Zawya | Link to story »
The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) will dispatch a mission to observe Wednesday's parliamentary elections.
The NDI said the delegation will include 50 observers from 29 countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
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