AMMAN - A senier official at the Maan-based Al Hussein Ben Talal University (AHU) said the institution's administration will work for democratic and fair student union elections despite an alleged "tribal" showdown between candidates.
"We want a free and democratic electoral process and I will personally monitor Wednesday's elections," AHU President Ali Hrout told The Jordan Times.
He acknowledged that the administration has received complaints from students alleging they were threatened by competitors with force, while some candidates have already reported to have been assaulted.
AHU officials, however, could not proceed with investigations as the students who reported the attacks and intimidation "refused to give either the names of the attackers or the phone numbers of those who threatened them, thus making it difficult for security personnel to protect them", Hrout said.
Student candidates from areas outside Maan claimed the threats came from "Maani students" providing ultimatums if they refused to drop their candidacies for the student council which has been dominated by students from the Maan area, some 220km south of Amman, for the past nine years.
A student who identified himself as a campaigner for a Maani candidate said he was aware of the intimidation, claiming some of his peers "requested" their competitors withdraw from the race.
He refused to elaborate further.
Of the AHU's 7,000-strong student body, 4,500 come from various parts of the Kingdom, while the rest are local residents.
Having adopted "We are All Jordan" as the name of their alliance, students from other districts told The Jordan Times yesterday they were still considering withdrawing from the race after a candidate from Irbid and two of his supporters were reportedly assaulted by a group of Maani students on Thursday.
The candidate, Mohammad Hawari, along with two supporters, were reported to be in fair condition after the alleged attack, according to their friends.
Nizar Dgheimat, a campaigner from Irbid (some 80km to the north of Amman), alleged that all 26 candidates of the "other cities" electoral list received the ultimatums over the phone.
Although candidates were allowed to launch their campaigns on Sunday, he said many alliance members have yet to post ads on campus.
Another student from Irbid, who requested to remain anonymous, alleged guns were being used to threaten candidates.
An AHU faculty member said a council dominated by students of a certain background serves the interests of "certain people" from within and outside the university who are driven by regional and tribal motives.
Dgheimat, meanwhile, said the university administration has requested students not to boycott the elections.
"The university campus is for all students and we treat all students on an equal footing," the university president said over phone.
"We do not wish to see voting on the basis of tribal links; we want someone from Karak, for example, to elect his colleague from Irbid, and a Maani to vote for a peer from Salt," he remarked.
By Thameen Kheetan
© Jordan Times 2009
