Jordan vote turnout low as fears grow over Syria attack

Voters at a polling station set up at a primary school in Amman Jordan\'s municipal elections drew a poor turnout Tuesday with the impact of a huge refugee influx from neighbouring Syria on a struggling economy stoking voter resentment and apathy. Interior Minister Hussein Majali expected a voter turnout of around 30 percent.
\"The final results will not be frustrating. These are municipal elections and it is normal that people would be less interested in them,\" Majali told reporters.
Polls opened at 0700 hrs (0400 GMT) and officially closed at 1700 hrs (1400 GMT).
In Amman, however, voting was extended by two hours, and polling stations also closed one hour late in several other regions.
Under the law, electoral officials in each governorate can independently extend voting hours if the need arises.
Earlier, Ahed Ziadat, a spokesman for the municipal affairs ministry, said that \"after eight hours of voting the turnout was 21 percent, and 500,000 people voted.\"
\"The turnout was low this year compared to 2007. Some institutions, like the armed forces and security forces, did not vote.\"
The Muslim Brotherhood, the main opposition party, boycotted the polls, charging that, despite repeated promises since the Arab Spring of 2011, there is no real readiness for change.
With few candidates of the leftist or nationalist opposition standing, tribal figures, who are the traditional bedrock of the monarchy, are set to sweep the elections.
On polling day, Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri told a news conference that the electoral process \"is going smoothly. There are no obstacles or problems to report.\"
Masri added that more than 4,000 local and international observers were monitoring the process.
However, on the ground, witnesses said security forces had arrested a number of people accused of vote buying.
Electoral supervisors urged the government to take control and protect the electoral process, amid claims of rigging.
Meanwhile, political groups in the northern governorate of Ajloun boycotted the election, urging residents to make a statement to Ensour\'s government.
The election has been overshadowed by anger among Jordanians over the impact of more than 500,000 Syrian refugees on their lives and country, with its population of just 6.8 million.
Officials say the influx has placed a huge burden on already overstretched water and power supplies as well as housing and education.
Also, the government has announced a raft of austerity measures as it battles to reduce a $2 billion deficit this year and rein in a foreign debt that now exceeds $23 billion (17 billion euros).
Last month, it doubled taxes on cellphones and mobile telephone contracts, and it also plans to raise the price of electricity by 15 percent.
\"We are suffering from the large number of Syrian refugees. We have additional water and electricity problems as well as obstacles in finding jobs,\" said Odai Khendi, before voting in the northern city of Ramtah, home to a large community of Syrian refugees.
\"I am voting today to help improve our situation. Our demands for help are not political.\"
Khitam Rodan, from the city of Mafraq, which is hosting tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in the north, agreed.
\"Our situation is disastrous. We need a solution,\" she said.
The desert Zaatari refugee camp, home to more than 150,000 Syrians, is located 10 kilometres (six miles) east of Mafraq.
In the mainly Christian city of Fuheis, west of Amman, supporters of candidates offered Arabic coffee to voters amid normal traffic and a low-key security presence.
\"I know that the country is going through difficult times, but I want to vote and choose the right person to help the city,\" Widad Issa, 85, told AFP after her grandson helped her vote in Fuheis.
Some 3.7 million Jordanians are registered to vote in the elections, in which they will pick 100 mayors and 970 municipal councillors from about 3,000 candidates in 94 municipalities.
The electoral law reserves 297 municipal council seats for women.
Around 50,000 policemen were deployed across the kingdom on election day \"to prevent any violations and ensure a smooth process\", according to police chief Talal Kofahi.
Additional source: AFP