Jordanians vote in a parliamentary election overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, which has dealt a heavy blow to the Arab country’s already debt-ridden economy.
More than 50,000 security force personnel were on hand to ensure masks were worn inside polling stations and social distancing maintained.
Authorities ruled that the four-yearly election should go ahead but voters who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus face up to a year in prison if they ignore instructions to stay home.
A member of the Jordanian security forces directs voters outside a polling station in Jordan’s capital Amman on November 10, 2020, during the 2020 general election. (Khalil MAZRAAWI / AFP)
On the eve of polling day, the kingdom had confirmed around 115,000 infections and 1,295 deaths in its population of about 10 million.
Some 4.5 million Jordanians are eligible to vote and by early afternoon (1100 GMT), turnout was around 13 percent. Polls close at 7:00 p.m. (1700 GMT), with results expected in the coming days.
Parliament has limited authority in Jordan, where the king has wide powers to rule by decree.
But it has provided a platform for the opposition when it has not boycotted the elections.
— AFP
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