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Ammon News - AMMAN —JT- A US-based nonprofit organisation on Tuesday said Jordan will need to “clarify the process of government formation” to achieve His Majesty King Abdullah’s vision of parliamentary governments.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI), a non-partisan organisation working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide, called for a clear process to form parliamentary governments in the Kingdom, as this would be a motivation for better political competition.

The recommendation was listed in the NDI’s “pre-election assessment delegation statement regarding Jordan’s 2013 legislative elections”, conducted at the request of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC).

According to the statement, made available to the Jordan Times on Tuesday, the IEC should adopt best international practices in holding the January 23 polls by ensuring the secrecy of the vote.

The IEC can do so by providing “uniform, pre-printed ballots at the national and district levels” with distinguishing features such as names, numbers, pictures, symbols and colours.

The NDI also said that the IEC needs to address other technical issues related to the voting process, in particular how to accommodate illiterate voters, according to the statement.

As part of its recommendations, the NDI encouraged the IEC to “institute voting procedures for illiterate voters that meet international standards” in order to enhance confidence in the integrity of the polls.

The IEC will also need to “establish an electoral incident reporting hotline” to serve its mission, particularly in connection with strengthening the regulatory framework against electoral violations.

The report said the IEC should launch a national voter education campaign to raise awareness on the electoral system.

Such a campaign would help citizens realise the significance of the national list and understand how to cast, for the first time, a second ballot on election day, according to the statement.

Under the Elections Law’s mixed electoral system, each voter will have two votes, one at the district level and another designated for a 27-seat closed proportional list at the national level.

In its statement, the NDI called for encouraging political parties that intend to field candidates on the national list to promote gender equality by including women in their lists.

The commission, according to the NDI, should consider issuing regulations outlining a candidate’s financial disclosure requirements to help prevent fraud and limit the influence of political money, including vote buying.

In its pre-election assessment statement, the NDI also said that the IEC is the primary public body to make official pronouncements on the electoral process, recommending a permanent staffing structure for the commission as it currently relies on short-term contracts with employees from other public agencies.

Urging the authorities to prevent undue influence on voters, the statement said officials at all levels should ensure the neutrality of the intelligence and security services, and that public resources are not used for the benefit of individual candidates or lists.