Youth Parliament
In 2011, there were calls to lower the age of candidacy to 25 in Jordan, which were rejected. During the 2013 parliamentary elections, the idea of forming a shadow youth parliament emerged, protesting the candidacy age of 30 and advocating for broader youth empowerment in political life. The youth parliament attempted to present youth electoral lists that have a program and carry a goal, moving away from financial and regional competition to program-based competition. A group of Jordanian youth held the first youth parliament election through virtual voting on Facebook, electing 27 “deputies” representing all Jordanian governorates and various political orientations, including leftists, liberals, Islamists, and independents.
Mobilization and youth engagement
A group of objectors to the Jordanian House of Representatives’ decision to reject lowering the candidacy age to 25 years in Jordan called on young people in general, and those under 30 in particular, to create their own election campaign images, including their political programs and visions, and share them on a Facebook page called “The Red Indians List,” which aimed to mock some electoral campaigns in parliamentary elections. However, later on, they began to think about the necessity of moving beyond the culture of criticism and mockery of reality to presenting a youth project, which is elections for a youth parliament in the form of lists that conform to the parliamentary electoral system for lists.
The “Red Indians List” page later evolved to be presented as one of the lists and opened the door for other lists to participate, turning into an initiative to create a virtual youth parliament with dozens of lists participating. This was an attempt to prove that young people are capable of contributing, addressing issues in a civilized manner, finding creative and scientific solutions, and proposing different solutions to the problems Jordan faces. It opened the door for everyone to experience an atmosphere similar to parliamentary elections in terms of campaigning, programs, and forming lists to convince voters to vote, aiming to utilize and not exclude or marginalize youth energies. It also provided a space for young Jordanian expatriates to participate and contribute, as the virtual elections allowed this space for expatriates who are not eligible to vote under the current Jordanian election law. Most of the lists began working on launching an election campaign and drafting a program that surpassed many of the real lists that ran for the actual parliament.
To ensure the transparency and integrity of the election and voting process, the youth parliament established the Independent Youth Electoral Commission. This commission was formed by a group of activists, lawyers, and media professionals, and it set an approved system for candidacy and elections, overseeing the entire virtual election. In addition, they established internal regulations for the youth parliament. After the youth parliament was founded and the oath was taken, its members studied the laws and demanded the repeal of Law of Narcotics and psychotropic Substances, which was amended in the seventeenth National Assembly. They also studied many laws discussed in the House of Representatives, expressing their reservations and comments on some articles, making a serious attempt to simplify laws that might be difficult to understand in terms of their legal aspects and implications. The virtual youth parliament thus became a pressure force on the government and a monitoring body for the performance of the House of Representatives.
The youth parliament held three parliamentary sessions and rejected any idea of financial support from any donor. They worked on registering the youth parliament as an association to ensure continuity, commitment, and transparency, but their registration request was rejected multiple times.
