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Ammon News - By Shaherah Khatatbeh

AMMONNEWS – Jordanian Islamist leader Zaki Bani Ersheid said on Monday that the National Front for Reform is the result of an initiative to produce a broad national coalition since the last parliamentary elections in 2010, which began with the Islamic Action Front's (IAF) partnership with the Unity Party and a number of independent national figures to establish an independent reform commission.

Bani Ersheid, the head of the IAF political office, said in statements to Ammon News that this reform commission took the initiative to establish the National Front for Reform (NFR) headed by former Prime Minister Ahmad Obeidat.

He added that the NFR stemmed out of the pro-reform forces' need for a comprehensive and inclusive platform to coordinate pro-reform efforts in accordance with "minimum consensus on political oppositional party, professional associations', and political reforms."

"I consider that the NFR is one of the accomplishments of the Jordanian mind. For the first time in Jordan's history, a national front is formed which carries a consensus-based and implementable political vision," Bani Ersheid stated, adding that the formation of the NFR has benefited from the "atmosphere in the region."

"It must be stressed that reform has become a public demand that includes society as a whole, and is not limited to political parties," he added.

Regarding the official stance towards the newly formed movement and whether he expects confrontation with the government, Bani Ersheid noted that although no official stance has been publicly announced by the government towards NFR, "yet the measures the preceded announcing the movement were negative and attempted to obstruct its launch."

He noted that even the press conference to announce the launch of NFR was relocated after security pressures, "a matter that reflects that official entities lack the will for real and tangible reform."

"There will be confrontation between NFR and the government if the latter wants confrontation.. but the Front is keen to perform its constitutional duties and peaceful programs towards reform," he added.

“We were  keen to participate in the Jordanian movement called for reforms that includes opposition parties and, independent national figures added.

Constitutional amendments, government accountability, combating corruption, new economic policies, redefining the role of security agencies, judicial reforms, press freedoms and revisiting the education system are the main cornerstones of the newly established National Front for Reform (NFR), according to Ersheid.

"We do not act individually, our activism is part and parcel of the demands of the Jordanian street, Reforms are  popular demands," he added.

The coalition (NFR), was announced two days ago, and includes the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Jordanian Communist Party, the Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party (Wihda), the country’s two Baathist groups, the Jordanian People’s Democratic Party (Hashed), the Nation Party, the Social Left Movement and the Jordanian Women’s Union.

* Nidal Salameh contributed to this report.