CAIRO: Jordan's state-funded human rights watchdog said Thursday it was concerned about new methods of “vote buying” and other election fraud tactics ahead of next week's polls. “Such recurrent political and social pressures which seek to affect the fairness of the polling process do not live up to the internationally-approved criteria,” the National Center for Human Rights (NCHR) said in a statement. Those found guilty of buying and selling votes face spending up to seven years in jail. The Islamic Action Front (IAF), part of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, has decided to boycott the election along with the allied left-leaning Popular Unity Party (PUP), saying the government had failed to provide assurances that the election “will not be rigged.” The NCHR had also reported “irregularities” in the polling process in the 2007 elections. A total of 763 candidates will compete next week for the lower house's 110 seats. The government in the Middle Eastern monarchy has pledged that there will be a fair voting process. As of Sunday, a number of Jordanians had been arrested in connection with vote buying, highlighting the growing tide of corruption in the country ahead of elections. BM
