More than two years after Political Parties Law No. 7 of 2022 took effect, data from Jordan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) show the country's party landscape shifting from a phase of formation and registration to one defined by electoral performance, organisational compliance, and financial accountability.
اضافة اعلان
According to the latest entries in the IEC's party register, 30 political parties are currently active. That figure follows the Court of Cassation's ruling on 30 September to dissolve the Jordanian Al Ghad Party after it failed to submit its final financial accounts - a decision the court made final and binding.
The current total marks a decline from the 38 parties registered ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections. Of those 38, 36 participated in the vote through 25 party lists and coalitions that filed candidacy applications for the general electoral district; those lists together fielded 697 candidates. The 2024 elections were the first major electoral test for parties under the new legislation and the first in which the general electoral district was reserved for party lists.
Alongside that electoral test, the IEC has devoted increasing attention this year to the organisational and financial standing of registered parties, including the alignment of their bylaws with the law's requirements and good governance standards.
In February, the IEC announced it had written to six parties over their failure to complete required amendments to their founding statutes: the Labour Party, the Renaissance and Workers Party, the National Constitutional Party, the Islamic Action Front, the Workers Party, and the Construction and Labour Party. The commission granted each an additional deadline to meet the requirements and indicated it would apply the provisions of Article 33 of the Parties Law against those that did not comply.
The episode reflects a broader shift in the IEC's relationship with the parties. Oversight now extends beyond registration and authorisation to cover internal bylaws, governance standards, membership records, and financial accounts.
In June, the IEC began disbursing public funding to parties that had met the eligibility conditions, announcing that six parties had satisfied all requirements. Eleven others had files still under review pending corrections to their final accounts. The IEC's Board of Commissioners also resolved to engage the Audit Bureau to audit parties' final financial accounts.
The dissolution of the Jordanian Al Ghad Party lends additional weight to the financial compliance file. The IEC attributed the decision to the party's refusal to submit its final accounts - establishing that financial non-compliance can carry legal consequences well beyond administrative notices.
Jordan's party sector has therefore moved, within a short period, through three distinct phases: a wave of party formation following the new legislation; a first real electoral test; and now a more demanding stage focused on each party's capacity to meet its legal, financial, and organisational obligations.
Youth participation is another area where the IEC appears to be pushing for substantive progress rather than token representation. In April, IEC Board of Commissioners Chairman Musa Al-Ma'aytah said the commission was reviewing party membership lists with particular attention to the proportions of women and young people, both of which the law requires to reach 20 percent.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Al Ghad for Al Ghad.
