Chamber:
	Majlis Al-Nuwaab
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	8 November 1993
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats of the House of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members’ term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 4 August 1993, King Hussein issued a royal decree dissolving the House of Deputies and announced that Jordan’s first multiparty elections since 1956 would take place in November. It will be recalled that political parties were formally legalised in July 1992. Altogether 534 candidates (including three women) and some 15 parties contested the House’s 80 seats. Most of the candidates in fact ran as independents with tribal affiliations. The Middle East peace process and the related ongoing negotiations were central themes in the campaign debate, but the country’s ailing economy (marked especially by a high foreign debt and unemployment rate) was also touched upon. The polling outcome was generally regarded as a success for the King and his strategy for peace with neighbouring Israel as moderate candidates captured 59 seats to 18 for Muslim fundamentalists and three left-wing contenders, the last two categories’ totals being nearly halved as compared to the previous (November1989) elections. Some 60% of the popular vote was cast for unsuccessful candidates. Among the parties, the Islamic Action Front – which opposed the peace talks and had fielded the most candidates (36) – topped eight other parties with 16 seats. Fifty of the 80 seats, however, went to independents, most of them centrists. Analysts attributed the fundamentalists’ poor showing, inter alia, to the August 1993 change in the Electoral law which introduced a one-person, one-vote system to replace multiple balloting. For the first time, a woman was elected to the House. The 40-member Senate was appointed on 18 November. On 1 December, King Hussein reshuffled the Cabinet, which is headed by Prime Minister Abdel-Salam al-Majali.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (8 November 1993): Elections results
Number of registered electors	1,501,229
Voters	821,000 (54.68%)
Valid votes	804,000

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Islamic Action Front	16
Jordan National Alliance Party	4
Al-Ahd Party	3
Al-Yakatha Party	2
Al-Mustakbal Party	1
Jordan Arab Baath Party	1
Jordan Arab National Democratic Party	1
Jordan Communist Party	1
Jordan Democratic People’s Party	1
Independents	50

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	79
Women:	1