King visits independent election body and briefs on preparations for elections
March 20, 2022 His Majesty King Abdullah II visited the Independent Electoral Commission on Sunday and was briefed on preparations for the elections for provincial councils, municipal councils, and the Amman Secretariat Council on Tuesday. During his meeting with the Chairman and members of the Board of Commissioners of the Commission, His Majesty expressed his appreciation for the Commission's performance and preparations for the elections, praising its efforts in developing and developing facilities that serve the electoral process. His Majesty the King pointed out the importance of encouraging citizens to participate in elections, especially young people, and women, pointing to the role of the commission in the project of political modernization, in light of the transfer of the party file from the government to it, in accordance with the recent constitutional amendments. He called on His Majesty not to tolerate any irregularities that might affect the integrity and transparency of the elections, stressing the importance of the cooperation of all relevant agencies to ensure that the electoral process proceeds smoothly. He urged His Majesty the King to keep channels of communication open with the media to transmit information quickly and accurately. His Majesty listened to a brief presentation by The Authority's Chairman of The Commissioners' Council, Dr. Khalid Al-Kaladeh, on logistical preparations, the equipping and training of human resources, the introduction of modern technologies, particularly in the screening and extraction process, as well as facilitating voting for the elderly and persons with disabilities. The Chairman of the Authority was aware of the measures to reduce the expenses of the electoral process, control the training of electoral staff and young volunteers, and rely almost entirely on itself in the areas of printing, media production, media centre and the use of alternative energy. Kalaldeh stressed that the Independent Electoral Commission derives its prestige and independence in its work with the various parties, from his Majesty's continued support. On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Commission, he reviewed a series of achievements in recent years, including the establishment of the Jordanian Electoral Institute, which awards a higher diploma in electoral politics and management, and has begun teaching and received two batches of students, half of them from political parties. Kalaldeh pointed to the adoption of the capital Amman as the permanent headquarters of the Arab Organization of Electoral Departments, requesting and agreeing with 13 major Arab member states, in addition to 4 countries as observer members.
During the visit, His Majesty the King toured some of the authority's facilities, which contributed to the management and development of the electoral process, thereby strengthening its position at the regional and international levels. His Majesty was briefed on the INFORMATION Center, which has an ISO certificate for information security and protection, the first of its kind in the region at the level of electoral departments, and also learned about the electronic connectivity technology that enables the Authority to follow the integrity of the electoral process at the kingdom level. His Majesty the King visited the voting and counting simulation hall and the party unit that was created after the recent constitutional amendments. During the visit, His Majesty was accompanied by The Head of the Hashemite Royal Court Yusuf Hassan al-Issawi and His Majesty's Office Director, Dr. Jaafar Hassan.
