Jordan- Islamists accept 'Moroccan democracy style'
(MENAFN- Jordan Times) Islamists would embrace the Moroccan model in their future participation in government, provided that a short list of conditions is met.
Jamil Abu Baker, spokesperson for the Muslim Brotherhood, on Thursday said that members of the Brotherhood, along with its Political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), wish to copy the Moroccan experiment, in which Islamist Party leaders formed the government after winning a majority of parliamentary seats.
However, he said that the situation in Jordan is more complicated, given the issue of the 1994 Peace Treaty with Israel, which, according to Abu Baker, will remain a thorny issue in any future formula of the Islamists' participation in the executive authority.
On a different note, Abu Baker acknowledged that the Islamists, who constitute the largest opposition group, have been in dialogue with different parties, including Western diplomats, over the reform process under way in Jordan.
He said that members of the Brotherhood and senior IAF officials - including Rheil Gharaibeh, head of the movement's political department, Faraj Shalhoub, member of the Brotherhood's shura council, and Zaki Bani Rsheid, IAF politburo chief â€" met last month with British and Western diplomats.
Bani Rsheid confirmed the meeting with British embassy staff in Amman.
Issues that were discussed during the meeting included the democratic process, the youth and women's roles, according to Bani Rsheid.
But he insisted that the issue of the Islamists participating in future governments was not brought up, saying: "This is an internal topic and should not be on the table when talking to foreign countries."
British embassy officials were unavailable to comment on the talks, despite repeated attempts by The Jordan Times to contact them.
In an IAF shura council session held in January, potential measures to be taken should the party win a parliamentary majority were discussed. In the meeting, party leaders focused on the steps necessary to make the transition from an "opposition movement" to a governing party.
In a statement issued on Thursday, March 5, the IAF renewed its insistence on the closed proportional list electoral system, in which 50 per cent of seats are designated at the national level.
The group also wants constitutional changes that would restrict the King's ability to dissolve Parliament, and demand that the government halt arrests of activists.
In addition, the Islamists expect the government to return the multimillion Islamic Charity Centre Society to their dominion, after taking over its administration in 2007. The case is being seen by the judiciary.
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