Democratic Governance

Jordan has a population of about 6 million. It is a constitutional monarchy headed by His Majesty King Abdullah II. The constitution provides ultimate authority to the King who appoints the Prime Minister. The Jordanian parliament consists of the Upper House with 55 members appointed by the King, and the lower house comprised of 120 members elected by popular vote. Twelve of the lower house seats are reserved for women. Elections for the 16th House of Representatives were held on 9 November 2011.

The political instability in the Middle East region over the years has had direct impact on Jordan. The flow of thousands of Palestinian refugees to Jordan, and the Iraq war, has posed many challenges. The state religion is Islam, however the constitution protects the rights of non-Muslims to practice their religions freely provided that their practice does not contradict with local laws.

In 2002, the National Centre for Human Rights was established in Jordan. Most of the international human rights conventions are ratified, and the Constitution, the National Agenda and other political, economic and social frameworks promote social protection and human rights, however, the fulfilment of these rights has been hindered.

Jordan has taken serious steps in fighting and preventing corruption demonstrated by establishing the Jordan Anti-Corruption Commission and ratifying the UN Convention against Corruption. In 2009, Jordan officially initiated work on introducing decentralization. Political reform has been recognized by his Majesty King Abdullah II as well as by successive governments and commissions as a necessary component of Jordan’s development and modernization. Numerous pacts, agendas, and declarations have been put forward, outlining the main elements of necessary political reform; but the implementation and actualization of that reform has been fragmented and has remained short of stated goals.