But in Jordanian elections Tuesday, even that question was put to rest beforehand. The main Islamic opposition party and others boycotted - not because the vote was rigged against them but because they say parliament has become pointless.
"There is a conviction that political reform through the elections is useless," said Zaki Bani Ershead, a leader of the Islamic Action Front, the country's main opposition movement.
A total of 763 candidates, including 143 women, vied for 120 seats in Jordan's parliament. They plastered telephone poles with posters and hung banners in squares. Radio and television commentators urged 2.4 million eligible voters to take part in what was officially dubbed a "national wedding." According to the government, 53 percent of voters cast ballots. Campaign workers handed out leaflets. Security officials kept watch.
The only thing missing, critics said, was any substantive politics.
In the absence of party politics, well-known public figures or major issues of contention, the candidates were largely well-to-do and relatively anonymous businessmen looking to improve their standing, or tribal leaders seeking to consolidate power within their own groups.
Some analysts say the picture is not entirely grim. Jordan's elections three years ago were marred by the perception that the intelligence ministry handpicked candidates. The government this year expanded the number of seats available to urbanites, enlarged parliament by 10 seats, increased the quota for women and for the first time welcomed international election monitors. King Abdullah II directly or indirectly controls the government and the levers of economy and the security apparatus.
This article appeared on page A - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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