In Complete Secrecy… Unlicensed Muslim Brotherhood Completes Elections for New Shura Council
Internal elections for the Shura Council of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan are being conducted in complete secrecy, to avoid legal accountability for any of its members or elements, especially since it has become an unlicensed entity, and its existence is illegal according to the prevailing regulations in the Hashemite Kingdom.
Media outlets, including the newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, have circulated some leaks indicating that several internal branches of the Brotherhood are completing elections during the current weekend to complete the quorum of the new Shura Council; paving the way for selecting an executive office for the group and a new general supervisor to succeed Sheikh Abdul Hameed Al-Zinibat, who ended his tenure leading one of the largest political groups in the Jordanian scene.
According to the Al-Rai Al-Youm website, young Brotherhood leader Muath Al-Khawaldeh is one of the frontrunners for the position of general supervisor due to support from the centrist faction, while several other names are being considered.
It is expected that some branches of the group in the kingdom will not reach the legal quorum to select their representatives to the Shura Council, a process supposed to be completed by the end of the weekend, according to internal Brotherhood sources, where the number of Shura Council members is believed to be 56, and about 75% of them have been elected, with elections for 6 seats still ongoing.
Later, 7 members will be chosen by the elected Shura Council as part of a protocol for “satisfying all factions.” These steps in the internal elections are of great importance within the Jordanian Islamic movement.
Their results are believed to have an impact on many key issues, including not only solidifying power centers within the decision-making circles of the group and introducing new figures at the leadership level, but also subsequently reflecting on the elections of the Islamic Action Front party and the file of parliamentary elections, and how to prioritize in dealing with the repercussions of the relationship with the government.
The Shura Council elections witnessed internal organizational surprises of significant political weight, with observers categorizing the inability of the most important figure in the hawkish faction, Dr. Hammam Said, to cross the elections in its first version from the Shafa Badran area in the capital as one of the most prominent surprises, after he tied in votes with another candidate closer to youth factions, Mohammed Qudah, prompting a second round of voting in the branch.
Experts believe that the success of a relatively unknown leader like Qudah in competing with and confronting a heavyweight like Dr. Hammam Said sends a message from within the Muslim Brotherhood whose title may be the desire for renewal and overcoming historical leadership.
Elections in other branches witnessed either abstention from prominent Brotherhood figures such as leader Jameel Abu Bakr, or electoral practices that ended in the defeat of other well-known figures, including former deputy Moussa Al-Wahsh, and prominent Brotherhood official in the professional unions file, Engineer Badi Al-Rafai’ah.
Thirteen representatives of liberal youth factions ran in the Shura Council branches, and some of them succeeded in eliminating well-known historical leaders, indirectly indicating that internal Brotherhood elections are escalating with new symbols and faces.
