No voting time extension this elections, says head of election commission

The head of Jordan's Independent Election Commission, Musa Maaytah, announced that voting for the upcoming parliamentary elections will conclude at 7:00PM with no extensions, stating that the Commission's board has no authority to extend voting hours.

Maaytah emphasized on Friday that strict measures will be taken against anyone falsely claiming illiteracy and attempting to vote publicly on election day. In such cases, voting at the affected polling station will be halted, and the candidate involved will automatically lose.

This habit was used in previous elections, where an elector who “sold his vote” would fake illiteracy would then be accompanied by official delegates at the polling stations to help him vote, after which he publicly states - and often in a loud voice- who he is voting for so the candidate’s representatives at the same polling stations would confirm the vote buying process.

He also stressed that those who abstain from voting are effectively allowing others to determine the election results on their behalf. "Frustration or abstaining from voting doesn't help," he said, urging, "We must all go and exercise our right to vote."

Maaytah further noted that all Jordanians will be able to follow the vote counting process through live broadcasts, with Jordanian TV channels airing the results compilation, ensuring the transparency of the electoral process.