AMMAN - Cold winds and traffic jams near polling centres on Tuesday did not deter young people from showing up to cast their votes, nor did it prevent candidates' supporters from distributing leaflets to passersby.
Youth taking part in Tuesday's parliamentary election in Amman who were interviewed by The Jordan Times exhibited a high level of political and social awareness, all agreeing that only competent candidates are worthy of assuming a seat in the Lower House.
Commenting on the responsibilities and duties of deputies, the youngsters said their responsibilities go beyond merely providing services to their constituencies, but necessitate their evaluation of the government's performance and approval or disapproval of proposed laws that affect their lives.
Eighteen-year-old Ali Muneer said he made sure his first voting experience would reflect a choice for the candidate who truly deserves to reach Parliament and be among the people designated as the country's guardians and lawmakers.
"I came to vote for this candidate because his agenda focused on supporting youth and further communicating with them. He also focused on supporting two important groups in our society: Women and teachers," the Tawjihi student told The Jordan Times yesterday.
The Shmeisani resident, who was waiting for his sisters to cast their ballots, said he refused to allow family connections rule his choice, noting that his family members voted for a relative, but he selected a different candidate. Muneer explained that he will be responsible for the decisions his candidate takes if elected as a deputy.
"Elections are a process that go beyond choosing a candidate who is a family member; if people continue to select their candidates based on tribal affiliations, we will never achieve the desired development," added Muneer, a voter in the Third District.
The 163,907 eligible voters in the Third District had 28 candidates they could choose from, including 23 Muslim candidates running for four seats and five Christians competing for one Christian seat.
Another young voter in the Third District, 24-year-old Aysha Washah said she decided to vote for a young candidate who is aware of the younger generation's needs and can easily relate to them.
"We have arrived at a point where change is needed; young blood should be injected into the Parliament in order to create a balance between the older and the younger generations," Washah told The Jordan Times.
"The candidate I've chosen is one who can understand the mentality and needs of the young, while at the same time preserve our culture and traditions," she said.
"We are an aware generation and can judge which of the candidates are going to deliver what they have promised," added Washah, a brokerage employee.
However, not all the young people at the polling centres were there to cast a vote.
Ramez Muhyiddin, who was standing on the roadside in Jabal Hussein distributing leaflets, said he was at the voting centre since the early morning to support his cousin, one of the candidates.
"I'm a Tawjihi student and my mock final exams are around the corner, but I decided to take the day off to support my cousin and encourage those I know to vote for him," the 17 year old told The Jordan Times.
Meanwhile, a 20-year-old man, who preferred to be identified only as Mohammad, was distributing hundreds of shawerma meals from the back of a green truck to members of his campaign team in the sixth district.
"It's been a good week so far; I don't have a job, but this generous candidate I'm supporting is paying me JD50 per day for distributing posters and gathering voters if I can," Mohammad told The Jordan Times.
By 3:30pm, Mohammad had not yet cast his vote, expressing indifference and uncertainty as to whether he would actually have the time to do so.
Jordan Youth
Youngsters in several polling centres across the capital were clad in T-shirts with slogans reading: "We will participate in the election, will you?" They are part of a campaign organised by Jordan Youth, seeking to increase young people's participation in the polls.
Jordan Youth President Anas Abbadi said the forum initiated a campaign through radio stations and the Internet on the day of the elections, which focused on motivating young people to vote.
"The forum members and volunteers also sent SMSs to all their friends in order to encourage those who did not vote to go out and elect their representatives," Abbadi told The Jordan Times yesterday.
He said no specific figures on the level of youth participation were ready yet, but added that initial figures indicated a massive turnout.
"I visited different ballot centres and noticed that most of the election day campaigns were organised and promoted by young people," Abbadi said.
He said the forum seeks to build a relationship with youth and enhance lawmakers' understanding of this segment in order to achieve desired change.
Young observers
Meanwhile, Al Hayat Centre for Civil Society Development deployed 1,500 trained youngsters across the country's polling centres, in an attempt to observe the voting process and ensure transparency, according to a statement received by The Jordan Times.
The observers, deployed since the early hours of the morning, reported several computer breakdowns in different governorates, which hindered and delayed the voting process, the statement said.
By Hana Namrouqa
© Jordan Times 2007
