AMMAN — The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) announced that three out of the four candidates running for the parliamentary seat for Karak 6th District withdrew from the by-elections, leaving candidate Nayef Lemoun alone in the race.

 

The official registration period for the by-elections has ended. As such, the IEC’s board of commissioners will hold a meeting this week to announce Lemoun Karak 6th District’s deputy, again, by acclamation, according to the Elections Law, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

Article 19 of the Elections Law states that if the number of candidates running for a local district is equal to the number of seats allocated to that district, the IEC board of commissioners announce the candidates winners by acclamation, according to Petra.

 

One seat is designated for the local Karak 6th District in the Lower House.

 

Lemoun had lost his seat in the Parliament after the Amman Court of Appeals annulled the official results of the January 23 parliamentary elections in the Karak 6th District last month.

 

Article 88 of the Constitution states that when a seat becomes vacant in the Lower House due to death, resignation or any other reason, it is filled through by-elections, which should be held “within two months from the date the government is notified of the vacancy by the Lower House”.

 

Seven by-elections have been conducted to fill the vacant seats of MPs who either died or whose memberships were cancelled since 1989.

 

The IEC had postponed the Karak’s 6th District by-elections, slated for Saturday, until April 22, to allow the IEC, in coordination with Interior Ministry, to adopt a security plan to guarantee smooth polls, IEC Spokesperson Hussein Bani Hani said on Thursday.

 

Amman 2nd District

 

The IEC is supervising another by-election in the Amman 2nd District to fill a vacant seat in Parliament after one deputy passed away following the announcement of his win in the January 23 parliamentary elections.

 

Elected Deputy Mohammad Mahsiri (Amman, 2nd District) passed away in late January, leaving his Lower House seat vacant.

 

The elected MP was hospitalised following a heart attack and died shortly afterwards.

 

Bani Hani announced that the number of candidates for the district remained at 17, after the deadline for nomination withdrawal had passed last Thursday.

 

The by-elections for the Amman 2nd District is slated for April 20.