The coming months will present Jordan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) with one of its busiest electoral periods in recent memory. Three separate electoral processes are scheduled in quick succession: industry chamber elections in October, trade chamber elections in December, and municipal elections expected in spring 2027, alongside early preparations for the next parliamentary elections.
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The challenge for the IEC extends well beyond managing polling day. It encompasses preparing voter rolls, processing candidacy applications, forming and training committees, equipping polling and counting centres, establishing the technical and logistical infrastructure for each process, and running voter awareness campaigns with candidates, voters, and relevant institutions.
The commission is already engaged in the first stage of this cycle. Elections for the boards of directors of industry chambers and representatives of industrial sectors are scheduled for 3 October, while preparations for trade chamber elections, set for 5 December and covering 16 trade chambers and 10 commercial sectors, are under way simultaneously.
With the industry chamber file still open, the IEC will face a new commercial electoral obligation within roughly two months. Attention will then shift to the municipal elections, expected in spring 2027 following the enactment of a new Local Administration Law.
The commission's responsibilities have grown considerably in recent years. Beyond parliamentary, municipal, and general elections, it manages additional elections assigned to it by the government. Its mandate was also broadened under 2022 amendments to include reviewing applications to establish political parties and overseeing party affairs.
Preparations are not limited to the immediate electoral calendar. The IEC recently published a draft strategic plan covering 2027 to 2029, signalling that its planning is structured around an extended electoral and political cycle rather than any single event.
Nasser Habashneh, director of operations at the IEC, told Al Ghad that the commission began preparing for the industry chamber elections on 26 August, forming three main committees in the Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid industry chambers. Those committees have since started their electoral work, including opening the candidacy period.
Habashneh said 20 candidates had registered for the Amman Industry Chamber board, while nine candidates registered in each of the Zarqa and Irbid industry chambers. He noted that chambers where the number of candidates equals the number of available board seats would have their candidates declared elected by acclamation on 3 October. The same applies to the ten industrial sectors where candidate numbers match available seats.
On the trade chamber elections, Habashneh said the IEC had formed 16 electoral committees in 16 trade chambers and that the committees had received membership lists of commercial establishments registered with each chamber and had begun verifying them against the relevant legal provisions.
He said the right to vote in trade chamber elections extends to every establishment with a capital of 5,000 dinars or more, provided it holds a valid business licence. Trade chamber council elections will be held on 5 December, he added, subject to a legal quorum being achieved.
On municipal council elections, Habashneh confirmed that preparations had begun early, covering a review of the regulations and legislation governing the process as well as logistical arrangements. He said all tenders the IEC had issued for electoral supplies, including electoral ink and other logistical requirements, had been completed.
Regarding electoral personnel, Habashneh said the IEC had launched an electronic platform called 'Jahiz' ('Ready') with three main objectives: building a database of people wishing to work in the electoral process, establishing a knowledge framework through training and qualification, and making completion of the training programme a prerequisite for competing to serve on electoral committees.
This electoral activity is running in parallel with a legislative update to the IEC's governing framework. The government approved the explanatory memorandum for a draft law amending the IEC Law in August, aiming to align certain provisions with developments in the political modernisation agenda. The amendments would give the commission greater clarity in setting polling dates for municipal elections and any other elections assigned to it by the Council of Ministers, and would regulate its authority to cancel or postpone voting at specific polling and counting centres when circumstances affecting the integrity of the electoral process arise.
This article was originally written in Arabic for Al Ghad. It was translated into English with AI assistance and edited by Jordan News.
