AMMAN - The internal court of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) yesterday suspended seven IAF members for standing as candidates in Tuesday's parliamentary elections in contradiction of the party's boycott of the polls, party officials said.
Chief of the IAF court Tayseer Fityani said the punishment was based on the magnitude of the candidates' violation of the party's internal regulations.
"Following examination of related evidence and testimony from the members, the court concluded that the suitable punishment was to freeze their memberships for one year," Fityani told The Jordan Times.
He said the seven could regain their membership in the Islamist party in one year's time without losing the privileges they gained over the years.
The IAF executive office, however, wants the seven members expelled from the party and has decided to appeal the verdict.
"We expected nothing less than the expulsion of the seven men because they broke ranks with the group. Previous rulings by the IAF court saw members expelled. This is not a different case," said a senior official from the party's executive office.
The decision surprised observers, particularly as the Muslim Brotherhood, the IAF's parent organisation, recently expelled five members for running in the elections.
The expelled members include Madalla Tarawneh from Karak, Abdul Hameed Qudah from Ajloun, Sameer Dababseh from Salt, and Mohammad Massad and Aref Abu Eid from Baqaa.
"The executive office decided to appeal the court's verdict to the party's higher court because it believes the punishment does not match the violation," the executive office said in a statement posted on the party's website.
The Islamist movement and a number of leftist parties announced in August that they would boycott the polls in protest against the temporary Elections Law, which they claim favours tribes over political parties.
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
© Jordan Times 2010
