Jordan's king dissolves parliament ahead of polls

AMMAN, Aug 19 (Reuters) Jordan's King Abdullah issued a decree today dissolving parliament and told the government to prepare for multi-party polls later this year, officials said.

They said the decree dissolving the 110-member parliament, whose four-year term formally ended last April, and the call to prepare for elections, was a clear sign that the monarch would not use his constitutional right to delay the polls.

The government is expected to set an election date this week, probably in November.

Conservative politicians had urged the king to delay elections because they fear the opposition Islamist movement, which seeks political change through peaceful means, may make electoral gains similar to those of their ideological allies in the Palestinian territories, Egypt and Turkey.

The last election, in June 2003, brought gains for the Islamists after a campaign dominated by the parochial concerns of tribal candidates.

The electoral law governing that poll used a voting system favouring staunchly tribal constituencies over the largely Palestinian-populated cities, which are Islamic strongholds and highly politicised.

This left parliament in the hands of tribal, centrist and pro-government members.

The authorities are expected to apply the same law this time and ignore opposition calls for electoral reforms to ensure that the Islamist presence in parliament remains small.

The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the main opposition party and the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, has 17 seats in parliament but said it might boycott the polls if the authorities continued to discriminate against it.

The IAF, which accused the authorities of widespread vote rigging in last month's local elections, rejected the government's assertion that it was moving towards greater democratisation.

It wants more assurances that parliamentary elections will be fair and impartial and monitored by outside observers.

The authorities fear the IAF will win votes because of popular disenchantment and a widespread belief that successive governments have failed to deliver on promises of reforms.

Under the constitution most powers rest with the king, who appoints the government, approves legislation and can dissolve parliament.

REUTERS RKM RK2003