FCO Minister welcomes peaceful conduct of elections in Jordan
Minister Alistair Burt welcomes Parliamentary elections, and pledges continued UK assistance in strengthening Jordan’s democracy.
Commenting on the Parliamentary elections in Jordan which took place on 23 January, FCO Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, said:
“I congratulate the Jordanian people and authorities on the well-administered Parliamentary elections. I particularly commend the role and work of the Independent Election Commission in organising the elections in a transparent and impartial manner. This represents a significant step forward in the transition towards Parliamentary democracy, as set out by King Abdullah.”
“I endorse the conclusions of the EU observer mission and commend their work and those of other international and domestic observers. I note that the observers have raised a number of important areas for further improvement, including inadequacies in the legal framework and some reports of vote buying which are being investigated by the authorities. We regret the non-participation of some opposition forces.”
“I commend King Abdullah’s recent discussion documents setting out a road map towards improving inclusivity and wider representation, better governance and more democratic accountability, including his recognition of the need to encourage the further emergence of national political parties. As a long-standing friend of the Jordanian people, the UK will continue to use the Arab Partnership programme to support Jordan in this process.”