(MENAFN- Jordan Times) The deadline for registering for the upcoming parliamentary elections is expected to be extended, an official said on Monday, expecting the number of registered voters to reach half a million by the end of the week.
"An average rate of 45,000 people per day are now registering at the Civil Status and Passports Department [CSPD] offices across the Kingdom," CSPD Director Marwan Qteishat told The Jordan Times Monday.
As of Monday, 400,160 voters have registered to participate in the elections. A total of 42,605 eligible voters registered on Monday alone, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
"Since the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the department has been processing an average of 4,000 to 5,000 voter applications per hour," Qteishat said.
"In light of the rising number of citizens seeking to register for the elections, the registration deadline, which is due in 11 days, will be extended to give the chance for citizens to exercise their constitutional right in the next parliamentary elections," Qteishat said.
He said the department's staff members are exerting all efforts to facilitate the process for the public, despite their other responsibilities, such as issuing birth certificates, civil identification cards and passports.
The official added that Jordanians working aboard will be able to register for the elections.
"We discussed this issue with the concerned officials at the Foreign Ministry in order to cooperate with our embassies to offer expatriates the chance to register and obtain their voter IDs via filling out a special form," he explained.
"This aims to preserve their right to vote if they happen to be in the Kingdom on election day," Qteishat said.
Expatriates have to be present in Jordan on election day to vote. Officials have cited logistical difficulties that prevent the government from opening ballot centres abroad for Jordanians staying outside the country.
Meanwhile, the CSPD director underlined that the department is suffering from a shortage in staff, adding that it has received support in human resources from several government institutions such as the ministries of public works and education, the Civil Defence Department and the Public Security Department.
"Their mission is to help in the logistic support but they are not involved with the registration process," he said, adding that the agency has started assigning temporary delegates in various government institution to facilitate the employees' registration for the election, stressing that this process is completely optional.
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