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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - His Majesty King Abdullah II Sunday reiterated his full support of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) in the management of the electoral process ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls.

During a visit to the IEC, where he met with its head and members, the King urged all state institutions to back the IEC in its efforts "in a manner that guarantees achieving a successful electoral process that suits Jordan's reputation".

He called for the highest possible level of coordination and cooperation among the various stakeholders and specialized security agencies for a successful management of the polling process.

The visit to the commission followed the end of the registration process and verification of the names of the lists running for the September 20 polls according to the regulations set by the elections law.

During the meeting, head of the IEC Board of Commissioners Khaled Kalaldeh, gave a briefing about voter charts and records, which had undergone scrutiny by the commission, as well as measures taken to facilitate voting for the various groups, particularly people with special needs.

Kalaldeh said the King's visit to the commission would stimulate the IEC staff to ensure that the polls will be conducted in a fair, transparent and neutral manner to give the model that "Jordan had chosen dialogue among its people through the ballot box".

He said the IEC had adopted the slogan "Jordan Votes" based on promoting popular participation and national accord on the new elections law, adding that the commission seeks to develop the Kingdom's approach in the administration of elections "within a democratic mechanism compatible with human rights criteria".

Kalaldeh said that over 4.1 million voters, 52 percent of them female and 47 percent male of various ages, are eligible to cast ballots to choose 130 deputies in the new Lower House, 115 of them men male and 15 women.

In order to encourage the young generation to vote, he said, the IEC had run awareness campaigns via social media by uploading video clips and applications clarifying the balloting process and the mechanism of calculating votes.

Kalaldeh said 10,000 young volunteers will be in the field alongside about 74,000 electoral staff on election day, to guide voters and provide help to them.

He also said the IEC is facilitating the job of local and international election observers "to promote satisfaction with the soundness of measures and the vote-counting process up until the announcement of final results in a fair and transparent fashion".

The IEC chief told Petra after the meeting that all logistical and other necessities are in place to conduct the polls, adding that the commission was waiting for the Ministry of Public Works and Housing to receive the polling centres that will be located at 1,484 schools, where 4,884 ballot boxes will be designated.