Record female entries in parliamentary ballot
▶ Female candidates contesting tomorrow’s parliamentary poll call for an end to tokenism
In the middle of a surging pandemic and record unemployment in Jordan, one group is coming to the forefront in parliamentary elections.
A record 364 women are running in the country’s elections, which will take place tomorrow – a 44 per cent increase from 2016 and part of a 26 per cent rise in the number of candidates overall.
For the first time, there are three all-female electoral lists and dozens of women are competing outside Jordan’s 15-seat quota for women in parliament.
Running on campaign themes varying from job creation to overhauling the burdened health sector, candidates say they want to put an end to tokenism and push against patriarchal tribal norms.
“Before, some men would just add a woman with the right family name to their list to pick up a quota seat,” said Wafa Tarawneh, a candidate for the western city of Karak.
She said the lists preferred a woman who has a recognisable family name “but is not too outspoken or independent”.
Ms Tarawneh’s own experience of being marginalised on an electoral list in 2016 led her to form Jordan’s first all-female one this year from her home province of Karak.
It has five candidates representing different regions and tribes.
Within weeks, two additional all-women’s lists were announced, one in the northern province of Ajloun and in the tribal Central Badia district.
“People think that women’s empowerment and rights is only an Amman phenomenon,” Ms Tarawneh said.
“We are proving that in the governorates and here in Karak, the political heartland of Jordan, there is a desire for and support for women MPs, perhaps even stronger than in the capital.”
Karak community activist Asma Hijazin agrees.
“Women are the key to progress and change,” said Ms Hijazin, who was inspired to form an association to support women candidates.
“Next election I plan to run as a candidate, and many women across Jordan are thinking ‘Why not us?’”
By running outside the quota, many women find themselves competing against relatives, splitting the tribal vote and drawing ire from family members who believe the male candidate should have priority.
Ms Tarawneh’s campaign posters were removed from her home village and female voters say they are split between the desire to vote for a woman and family pressures.
Yet there has been some enthusiasm ahead of the polls, despite record low public interest in the election in general.
“Seeing all these strong women candidates makes you think that parliament can actually represent us,” said Amira Samer, 43, a pharmacist from Amman.
Samiha Sarayreh, a former head teacher and a women’s
list candidate, said the quota had prevented voters taking women candidates seriously.
“Either the government should make sure there are equal seats for men and women or scrap the quota altogether,” Ms Sarayreh said.
“We can do it on our own [without the quota].”
Women’s confidence rose in 2016 when a record 20 women won parliamentary seats, far exceeding the 15-seat quota.
“Women candidates are definitely becoming more accepted and this is a good thing,” said Musa Shteiwi, professor of political sociology at the University of Jordan.
“We are seeing more women encouraged to run for office, which was the purpose of the quota.”
Some smaller tribes now prefer to run women candidates because they think they have more chances of gaining a seat because of the quota, Dr Shteiwi said, but women running competitively against men is still not widely accepted.
But female candidates say they are determined to make Jordan’s “women’s wave” a permanent fixture.
Ms Tarawneh and others plan to form an all-women’s political party, and there are plans to establish non-government organisations to recruit, train and support women for political office.
“Women are seen as less corruptible, more trustworthy,” Ms Tarawneh said.
“Amid frustration with the last parliament, people are supporting women for a change.”
We are proving that in the governorates and here in Karak, there is a desire for and support for women MPs
WAFA TARAWNEH Parliamentary candidate, Karak