The Renewal Movement within the Islamic “Umma” Party in Jordan managed to achieve gains during elections for the General Secretariat and the rest of the Shura Council members, which witnessed a message of solidarity with MP Hassan Al-Riyati, who was removed from Parliament due to a judicial ruling against him.
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On Saturday evening, the young leader Muath Al-Khawaldeh was elected Secretary-General after receiving 382 votes compared to 369 for MP Sheikh Ahmed Al-Qatawneh out of 751 votes. While neither of them achieved the absolute majority required by the bylaws, Al-Qatawneh decided, without consultations, to withdraw from completing the second round, which paved the way for Al-Khawaldeh to be declared Secretary-General in the context of a power-sharing arrangement that has been and will be reflected in the rest of the party’s institutions, most importantly the General Secretariat, then the Executive Office and the headquarters committees.
The victory of Khawaldeh, a young leader, was unexpected given the balance of power between three main factions within the party representing the entire Islamic movement.
The victory of Khawaldeh, a young leader, was unexpected given the balance of power among the three main factions within the party representing the entire Islamic movement. Until recently, less than two weeks ago, in an election that had been postponed three times, Khawaldeh's chances were significantly lower than Qatawneh's due to the nature of the power struggles between the various factions within the party's organizations and institutions. However, a series of developments appears to have altered the landscape, most notably a private meeting arranged by the veteran leader and ninety-year-old founder of the Islamic movement, Sheikh Hamza Mansour, to discuss the matter with Khawaldeh.
The elections carried political messages, the most important of which was the solidarity of the General Conference members with the party's deputy, Hassan Al-Riyati, who was sentenced to two years in prison and is in hiding. The vote was held for the latter, in absentia, as he is the first member of the Shura Council from the category of “complementary” members, as the party's General Conference chooses 20 seats for the Shura Council to complete the quorum of the council after the branches elect about 60 representatives for them, so that what is described as the “Party Parliament” is completed, while the Executive Office is after the “Party Executive Government”, headed by the new Secretary-General.
It is clear that the vote for Al-Riyati was a message of protest against the lifting of his parliamentary immunity, the vacancy of his parliamentary seat, and his subsequent two-year prison sentence, despite the fact that the case for which he was convicted was related to an assault complaint from a former parliamentary colleague. Circles within the Umma Party believe that the verdict against Al-Riyati was arbitrary and politically motivated, and had no connection to any criminal offense.
Apart from the Riati case, the elections were “a truly national democratic electoral celebration,” according to union activist Ahmed Ziad Abu Ghneima, who thanked his colleague Qatawneh for reflecting the spirit and ethics of the party members when he conceded to his young colleague in the second round of the Secretary-General elections.
The electoral conflict ended politically with messages confirming that the Renewal Movement, which includes both doves and hawks from within the Umma Party, managed to assume leadership of the General Secretariat.
While it was clear that Qatawneh could not defeat Khawaldeh even in the second round, the electoral conflict ended politically with messages confirming that the Renewal Current, in which doves and hawks from the Umma Party are mixed, managed to sit at the head of the General Secretariat.
Meanwhile, the faction that tries to cling to the past of the banned “Muslim Brotherhood” association, its heritage, quotas and traditions in the party’s internal organizations, has retreated slightly.
Those who won were the segments that voted in favor of changing the constitution, and before that in favor of changing the party’s name to the “Nation” Party instead of the “Islamic Action Front” Party, which means that the party is currently with the moderate pragmatists, who believe in turning the page on the Muslim Brotherhood Association, as it was in the past, and engaging in the new party path with all that it entails in terms of legal obligations.
What happened was a message to the faction that “tried to monopolize the key positions in the party,” according to Marwan Al-Faouri, a politician who follows the Islamic movement’s file, who confirmed the party’s youth, cadres, and bases settled the matter through the ballot boxes, and the opportunity is now available to a new generation of leaders.
This paves the way for ending the conflict with the official authorities and turning the page on the Brotherhood's hierarchical structure.
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