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Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) The Independent Elections Commission IEC calls on all media representatives and journalists who are interested in covering the upcoming parliamentary elections to apply for accreditation at the IEC’s accreditation point in the Royal Cultural Centre in order to obtain their press cards that will enable them to cover the electoral process, noting that the last day for applying for accreditation is Thursday 10th of January,2013.

The IEC has started receiving accreditation applications on Wednesday the 26th of December, where a special team stationed at the Royal Cultural Centre began receiving the applications and started handing out the forms that need to be filled by the media in order to process their applications and provide information and assistance to all those vying for accreditation.

The IEC has also uploaded the application form and the Journalists code of conduct that should be filled and signed by those wanting to obtain accreditation on its website www.entikhabat.jo.

The journalists and media organizations can download the form and the code of conduct (in English and Arabic) and can send them to the IEC on the e-mail: press@entikhabat.jo, in order to be processed and checked.

According to the regulations those vying for accreditation will be requested to fill the application form, sign the journalists code of conduct, provide a copy of the passport (for the foreign media) or a copy of the National Identification Card (for the local media), a letter from the journalists’ media organization stating the he or she works for the organization, in addition to the journalists’ press card and two photos (size 30-40/40-50mm).

The media organizations need to also provide a letter with the names of those it wishes to have accredited (including journalists, cameramen and technicians).

After receiving the required documents, the IEC team will process the application and will provide the applicants with their press cards within three days of receiving the forms. The team will inform the journalists when to obtain their press cards at the IEC’s station in the Royal Cultural Centre.

The IEC’s executive instructions number (13) related to the accreditation of local and foreign journalists wishing to cover the electoral process to provide the following requirements: For local journalists: to provide a letter proving he/she is working for the media institution, to abide by the code of conduct issued by the IEC.

For Foreign Media: the organization should be accredited by the local authorities and for those who are not officially registered in Jordan to provide their press card and to abide by the IEC’s code of conduct.

The executive instructions also state that each journalist who obtains the accreditation and press card has the right to obtain all publishable information related to the electoral process from the IEC, access to polling and counting centers, access to IEC ‘s media centre and the services provided including interviews with officials and heads of election committees.

They are also entitled to present a complaint to the liaison officers at the polling and counting centers in case they obstructed from carrying out their work.