Ammon News - AMMAN (Petra) - Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour said holding parliamentary and municipal elections in the same year was clear evidence of Jordan's confidence in its institutions and people.

During a meeting with the chairman and board of commissioners of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Saturday, Ensour reiterated that the upcoming municipal elections, which will be held for the first time since 2007, are an important milestone marking the return of municipalities to play a role in serving citizens.

"Holding these elections is part of the political reform process and encourages the citizens' participation in the decision-making process," he added.

Ensour, who was briefed on the IEC preparations to oversee the upcoming municipal elections on Aug. 27, 2013, affirmed that the supervision of the IEC over the municipal elections, as was the case with the last parliamentary elections, boosts the citizens' confidence in the electoral process.

The meeting, which was attended by Interior Minister and Minister of Municipal Affairs Hussein Al Majali and Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications and Minister of Political Development and Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Al Momani, also touched upon the IEC's role in overseeing the municipal elections in cooperation with the interior ministry, which is legally responsible for executing all phases of the electoral process, managing it, and issuing special regulations related to these elections.