Khaberni - Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Abdel Moneim Al-Oudat said on Thursday that municipal elections will be held next year and that the government will send its bill to Parliament in this session, along with other important legislative projects including National Service, Electronic Transactions, Social Security, and the Gas Law.
He continued that the political track is the cornerstone in the comprehensive modernization vision, constituting a natural gateway to broadening popular participation and enhancing real representation in public life through the establishment of effective and influential political parties capable of competing based on programs rather than personalities, and on ideas rather than slogans.
This occurred during his sponsorship of the national conference titled "Towards Active Women's and Youth Participation in Political Modernization" held by Al-Hayat Center–RASED, in cooperation with Heinrich Böll Foundation–Palestine and Jordan, with the participation of the Secretary-General of the National Committee for Women’s Affairs, Maha Ali, along with numerous parliamentarians, party leaders, and young activists.
Al-Oudat explained that the political modernization project was not merely a formal step but a fundamental transformation in the structure of Jordanian political life, aimed at consolidating the culture of programmatic party work, enhancing the relationship between citizens and state institutions, between voters and representatives, and between the idea and its implementation, making them partners and contributors in shaping public policy and prioritizing.
He added that the essence of this project is to empower youth, seeing them as the heartbeat of the nation and the energy capable of driving positive change and development. Youth are not merely policy recipients, but partners in their formulation, decision-makers, and carriers of national concern and aspiration.
Al-Oudat pointed out that the responsibility of programmatic parties at this pivotal stage is to move from slogans to action, from general rhetoric to realistic, implementable solutions, communicating with people in their everyday language, reflecting their issues and livelihoods, and proposing realistic solutions to challenges facing the youth, unemployment, development, education, and services.
He emphasized that citizens today need party programs that relate to their reality through responsible discourse based on credibility rather than populism.
Al-Oudat noted, "Today, we are before a new phase that requires everyone—government, parties, and civil society institutions—to work integratively and earnestly to establish a culture of participation and responsibility, enhance programmatic party life enriching the political scene, and augment the Jordanian democratic experience. The government is committed to providing a supportive environment for this journey through legislation, institutional support, and programs empowering youth and women, ensuring a more mature and effective political process in line with 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, stated that the unprecedented increase in women's representation in the House of Representatives, resulting from the outputs of the Royal Committee for the Modernization of the Political System, along with their high participation in parties, is a significant enhancement of women's political involvement, which could further develop in the upcoming phase. Additionally, it is essential to work on enhancing women's roles within party activities beyond stereotyping and confining them to women's committees; this could impact their empowerment and active participation within these parties including decision-making roles.
The General Manager of Al-Hayat Center–RASED, Amer Bani Amer, confirmed that the conference represents an important evaluation point for the political modernization path in the Kingdom, clarifying that "RASED" completed reports assessing the performance of the Parliament and the government over the past year, and is currently preparing a comprehensive report on the effectiveness of political parties, and assessing young people's views on the performance of young parliamentarians, indicating that the results of these studies will be submitted to decision-makers to enhance the participatory approach in developing legislation.
