More than 16,000 Iraqis go to the polls in Jordan
Amman (AsiaNews) More than 16,000 Iraqis living in Jordan have registered for their country's first democratic elections in 40 years which are scheduled for January 28-30 elections. Voter registration took place in the 12 polling stations in the capital of Amman and two northern governatorates.
Many Iraqis are only staying temporarily in Jordan. When the Iraqi government announced that it was going to close its borders, hundreds of Iraqis crossed the border to escape possible violence; they should be back soon after the elections are over on Sunday.
Jordanian border officials confirmed it saying that they had received instructions to facilitate entry of the Iraqi families and vehicles into Jordan.
Royal Jordanian Airlines said that it will resume its two weekly flights to Baghdad after Iraq reopens its airspace, which was closed for security reasons for the duration of the elections.
Jordan's Ministry of Interior announced that it will lower by 75 per cent the fine Iraqis have to pay if caught violating Jordanian residency requirements.
At present, more than 200,000 Iraqis have been living in the Hashemite Kingdom for months, some for years, with expired residency permits. Most, if not all, will be relieved by the move since they have to pay around US$ 2 fine per day if their residency permits are not renewed. If captured they are immediately deported to Baghdad.
The elections are not welcomed by everybody though. Even in Jordan some groups oppose them and this has caused tensions with the authorities.
What is more, officials from the International Organisation for Migration/Out of Country Vote (IOM/OCV) based in Jordan have received threatening telephone calls.
The UN's Electoral Assistance Division in New York warned all its agencies operating in Jordan not to allow any of its staff to participate in whatever form to the electoral process. (ID)
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11/08/2017 20:05
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