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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that holding parliamentary elections amid absence of national consensus and widespread protest on government policies is a "grave mistake".

In a statement issued on Wednesday, IAF stressed that the upcoming elections, slated to be held in January, will produce a "carbon copy of the 16th parliament," which the regime had to dissolve following widespread discontent over its performance.

The statement called for taking into consideration the transformations witnessed in the region, all of which "indicate that the supreme national interest lays in finding a creative solution that achieves national agreement and encourages citizens to participate and form real parliamentary blocs that practice its right in legislation, oversight, and forming a parliamentary government."

The statement came a few days after King Abdullah II stressed during a cabinet session on Tuesday that the elections will be held on January 23rd, 2013, and called for wide citizen participation in the elections slated to produce a parliamentary government.

IAF Executive Office rejected the continued arrest and detention of pro-reform activists, stressing that protest is guaranteed in the constitution and international conventions.

The statement called for the immediate release of "opinion prisoners," blasting the policy for exacerbating citizens' discontent with the state.

IAF also stressed freedom of the press, and warned against pressures practiced on journalists and means of censorship that hinders free press, according to its expression.

The statement also warned against the government's intent to raise prices of electricity and water bills, citing the popular anger witnessed last month when the government decided to float prices of fuel derivatives, which caused a substantial hike in prices.