Islamists withdraw from Jordan local election

AMMAN, July 31 (Reuters) Jordan's Islamist main opposition party withdrew its candidates from local elections today, accusing the authorities of vote-rigging, and said it may not take part in parliamentary polls later this year.

The Islamist Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, accused authorities of trying to influence the ballot by ferrying in thousands of army personnel to vote in the mainly urban areas where Islamist candidates were standing.

''This is a massacre of democracy and a flagrant attack on the will of (the) people,'' Zaki Bani Rusheid, head of the IAF told Reuters after the party decided to pull out its candidates.

''We credit the government with one point only - transparency in forging the elections without any window-dressing or make up.'' Rusheid demanded the government be dismissed and held accountable for what he described as ''widespread electoral abuses that far exceeded expectations''.

The government, which says it held the first local election since 1999 to bring greater democratisation, dismissed suggestions of vote-rigging and said military personnel were among 1.9 million Jordanians eligible to vote in the poll.

More than 2,706 candidates are standing for 929 municipal seats, including those in the cities of Irbid and Zarqa.

Multi-party parliamentary elections are due to be held later this year after the four-year term of the current assembly -- in which the Islamists held 17 of 110 seats -- ended last month.

The Islamists said their complaints about Tuesday's poll may prompt them to reconsider taking part in the parliamentary vote.

''This massacre of democracy will influence our decision to participate in parliamentary elections,'' Bani Rusheid said.

The Islamist movement seeks political change through peaceful means, including an elected government.

The authorities fear they will capitalise on popular disenchantment with successive governments and a belief they failed to deliver on promises of reform to make electoral gains.

REUTERS ARB BST1945