Jordan's king launches political programme to promote active citizenship

King Abdullah II of Jordan stressed that the essential goal of Jordan’s reform process is to enhance citizens’ participation in decision making, which can be achieved through successive parliamentary cycles. Launching the fourth of a series of discussion papers, titled “Towards Democratic Empowerment and Active Citizenship”, the Jordanian Monarch laid out his vision for the process of democratization and reform and how active citizenship can guide the way for Jordan’s future. The King said that one of the key requirements in the country’s democratization efforts is enhancing the role of civil society in monitoring and elevating the political performance of all institutions. The King authored to stimulate political debate and lay out his vision for the future of the country. He tackled political participation and active citizenship, as well as illustrating his vision for future developments, chiefly providing Jordanians with the tools for active citizenship. The paper coincides with the launch of “Demoqrati”, the Democracy Empowerment Program, under the umbrella of the King Abdullah II Fund for Development. In his first discussion paper, which was published around a month before the January 23 elections, the Monarch called for full citizen engagement, not only in discussions with parliamentary candidates, but also among themselves and on every issue of public interest and those related to local communities. The second discussion paper, published a week before the parliamentary elections, dealt with the mechanism of forming the upcoming government. In the third, the King called on political parties to assist in the development and future sustainability of an all-encompassing national perspective in political life.