An election in Jordan is about to take place that is going to replace the parliament. This is arguably the most important election in Jordan’s history because their economy has plummeted since the pandemic began. The new parliament’s main goals will be to get Jordan out of debt as much as possible with their current debt being about 100% of their GDP, and unemployment is at an alarming 23%. The new parliament is going to require some help from forign aid such as the International Monetary Fund.This voting season is especially important because Jordan and it’s people are in distress because of the pandemic and the effects it has had on the country’s infrastructure. However, the turnout of voters is expected to be low. There are 4.5 million eligible voters in Jordan however it is a common notion that that the parliament does not have a large effect on the economy and voting wouldn’t have a direct effect. A lot of people are also concerned about covid and don’t think going to vote is worth the risk.
An election, in any country is a big deal and the people of that country, in this case Jordan, should take advantage of the fact they have a say in who is responsible for their country especially when many other countries don’t have that freedom. Not only has Jordan lost citizens due to covid but they have lost over 1,000 citizens but they have also lost $3bn in tourism since covid started and if the people of Jordan were to elect the right parliament then that could give Jordan a good chance of recovering.
This can not only relate to the discussions we have had about the power of democracy and the right to vote in a country that needs it desperately but also this is very similar to the United States elections. The US has been divided and hurting from covid and the election was the time for all eligible voters to vote for their candidate and give America a chance to vote for change if they want, or keep the same administration in office if that’s what they want. Jordan now has a great opportunity to do the same thing and for the sake of their countries economy, health and overall strength everyone in Jordan should vote.