Islamists Set to Gain Foothold in Parliament

Preliminary results from Jordan’s parliamentary election showed that Islamists were set to gain a foothold in the assembly in the first such voting since King Abdullah II came to the throne in 1999.

Early results indicated that Islamists, who boycotted the last polls in 1997, had won at least 14 seats in the 110-seat lower house. That would allow them to put limited pressure on the government, improving the image of what had been an almost rubber-stamp assembly.

Abdullah hopes that the vote will bolster Jordan’s democratic credentials. Islamists say they will call for a more critical approach to the U.S. and Israel.