Khaberni - Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Abdul-Monem al-Awdat, on Thursday, stated that the municipal elections will take place next year, and that the government will send its bill to parliament in this session, along with other important legislation projects such as the National Service, Electronic Transactions, Social Security, and the Gas Law.
He continued that the political track is considered a cornerstone in the comprehensive modernization vision, forming the natural gateway to expand the base of popular participation and enhancing true representation in public life through building effective and influential political parties capable of competing based on programs rather than personalities, and on ideas rather than slogans, he added
This was during his sponsorship of a national conference titled "Towards Effective Women's and Youth Participation in Political Modernization," held by Al-Hayat Center-Rased in cooperation with the Heinrich Böll Foundation—Palestine and Jordan, featuring the participation of the Secretary-General of the National Committee for Women's Affairs, Maha Ali, and a number of parliamentarians, party leaders, and youth activists.
Al-Awdat explained that the political modernization project was not merely a formal step, but a fundamental transformation in the structure of Jordan's political life, aimed at establishing a culture of programmatic party work, enhancing the relationship between the citizen and state institutions, between the voter and the representative, and between thought and action, thus being a partner and contributor in shaping public policy and setting priorities.
He added that the essence of this project is youth empowerment, as they are the beating heart of the nation and the energy capable of bringing about positive change and development. The youth are not merely recipients of policies but are partners in their formulation, participants in decision-making, and bearers of the nation's concerns and aspirations.
Al-Awdat pointed out that programmatic parties have a crucial responsibility at this pivotal stage to move from slogans to action, from public discourse to practical, feasible solutions that speak in the everyday language of the people, addressing their issues and livelihood, and proposing realistic solutions to challenges facing the youth, employment, development, education, and services.
He emphasized that citizens today need party programs that touch their reality, through a responsible discourse based on credibility rather than contention.
Al-Awdat noted, "Today we are before a new phase that requires everyone—government, parties, and civil society institutions—to work integrally and earnestly to consolidate a culture of participation and responsibility, and to enhance programmatic party life that enriches the political scene and enhances the Jordanian democratic experience. The government is committed to providing a supportive environment for this journey through legislation, institutional support, and youth and women empowerment programs, to make the political process more mature and effective according to the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein."
The Secretary-General of the Jordanian National Committee for Women's Affairs, Maha Ali, said that the unprecedented increase in women's representation in the parliament, resulting from the outputs of the Royal Committee to Modernize the Political System, in addition to their high participation rate in parties, is an important increase that has enhanced women's participation in political life, which could evolve in the next phase. Concurrently, it is important to work on enhancing the role of women in party work beyond stereotyping them and confining them to women's committees; this aims to impact their empowerment and enhance their effective participation within these parties, including in decision-making positions.
The General Director of Al-Hayat Center-Rased, Amer Bani Amer, emphasized that the conference represents an important assessment milestone for the political modernization process in the Kingdom, explaining that "Rased" has completed performance evaluation reports of the parliament and the government during the past year, and is currently working on preparing a comprehensive report about the effectiveness of political parties, and measuring the opinions of the youth about the performance of young parliamentarians, pointing out that the results of these studies will be raised to the decision-makers to enhance the participatory approach in developing legislation.
