Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood Prepares To Join Future Government

The Islamist movement has launched preparations to take part in a future government, as the Islamic Action Front (IAF) considers sweeping internal reforms to strengthen the party ahead of potential elections.

In an ordinary IAF Shura Council session late Saturday, Islamist leaders discussed potential measures should the party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, come to power in a government based on a parliamentary majority.

During the meeting, party leaders focused on the steps to make the potential transition from an “opposition movement” to a governing party, a transformation that IAF Secretary General Hamzah Mansour warned will be “difficult” for the movement.

The IAF’s potential participation in governance would come at a time the Kingdom faces several internal and external challenges in the political, economic and social realms, placing a “heavy responsibility” on the Islamist movement, Mansour noted.

“Any political force or political party that takes part or forms a government based on a parliamentary majority will face several challenges,” Mansour told The Jordan Times.

“We must be prepared to face these challenges and come up with solutions to them.”

According to a source within the movement, the debate comes at a time Islamist leaders have received “positive signs” that decision makers will meet the movement’s preconditions for participating in political life, namely an elections law based on proportional representation and constitutional reforms guaranteeing elected governments and protecting Parliament against dissolution.

If the movement’s demands are met, Islamists are prepared to pull its presence from the streets, abandoning the pro-reform movement, and focus its energies on an electoral campaign and a strategy for governance, the source added.

“If our reform demands are met it is only natural that we will take part in elections and take part in the government,” Ali Abul Sukkar, IAF Shura Council president, told The Jordan Times.

“This is our goal and it always has been.”

During Saturday’s session, Islamist leaders also focused on ways to best translate the movement’s slogan “Islam is the solution” into political and economic programmes as the IAF eyes the rise of Islamists to power through the ballot box in countries across the region.

“We will study the experiences of the Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, the Justice Party in Morocco and Ennahda in Tunisia on how their movements are developing practical solutions in very challenging environments,” Abul Sukkar told The Jordan Times.

“Jordanian citizens have several demands and we as a party will have to be prepared to deliver.”

According to observers, the discussions on preparations for participation in political life comes amidst an alleged “agreement” struck between Islamists and the state guaranteeing the Islamist movement a presence in Parliament and the next government.

They point to last week’s meeting between Islamist leaders and Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, a recent meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah and alleged contacts between the movement and the General Intelligence Department as signs that authorities and the Islamists have reached an “understanding” regarding the movement’s role in the next government.

According to Al Ghad columnist Ibrahim Gharaibeh, a proposed agreement — which was struck earlier this month — would secure the Islamists 35 seats in the next Lower House, making Islamists the largest single political entity under the Dome but well short of the parliamentary majority required to form a government.

“Despite all the talk about reform, the most important cause for the Islamist movement is seats in the Lower House,” Gharaibeh said.

“With assurances from the government over the outcome of the upcoming elections, we are seeing Islamists preparing for the move from the streets to Parliament.”

Sources within the Islamist movement denied the existence of a “pact” between the movement and officials, insisting that the two sides have reached “common ground” in recent talks over the future of political reforms in the Kingdom.

Internal reforms

A key to the movement’s preparations for governance will be a series of sweeping internal reforms unveiled on Saturday which according to party leaders are “20 years overdue”.

The package of reforms is aimed at increasing participation in the decision-making process, which is currently concentrated in the hands of the IAF executive office, to include the party’s branches at the governorate level and at the wider Shura Council.

During the gathering, the Shura Council formed a committee of 17 members to review the reforms, which aim to widen internal debates on core issues, such as the Islamist movement’s participation in parliamentary elections and the government, topics which have long solely been the domain of party leadership.

According to Abul Sukkar, the reforms also centre on a greater separation of powers, including limiting the duties of the IAF secretary general to that of an executive authority and strengthening the party’s internal courts, in a bid to enhance the “level of democracy” within the Islamist movement.

“Before we can achieve reforms at the national level, we must first achieve reforms at the party level,” Abul Sukkar said.

The Islamist movement must also improve its outreach to women, Abul Sukkar said, noting that despite the increased role of women in public life across the country, the impact of female activists in the party has failed to reach the levels of male supporters.

Another pillar of the proposed reforms, which will be considered by the executive office in March, is revamping the party’s approach to youths, the core drivers of the Arab Spring, with Islamist leaders admitting that outside of political activity at universities, young Jordanians are relegated to supporting roles within the party.

“If we are to succeed as a political movement in the upcoming stage, we must do more to empower young Jordanians,” Abul Sukkar said.

“Their future and our future is one.”