Jordan Bye-Bye Moderates

In preparing his subjects for Jordan's first parliamentary elections in 22 years, King Hussein offered a piece of advice: avoid voting for "extremists." But when voters went to the polls last week, they ignored his warning in fairly spectacular fashion. With 647 candidates running for 80 seats, the biggest winner turned out to be the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. Its candidates and supporters won 34 seats. The Communists and others of the far left also made gains. By contrast, the moderate factions that Hussein has entrusted with day-to-day power for more than two decades suffered heavy losses.

The elections were prompted by rioting last April among Jordan's Bedouin community, the base of Hussein's support, to protest consumer price hikes. In addition, there was widespread suspicion that recent governments have been riddled with corruption. But the strong showing by the fundamentalists suggested a rejection of the secular Western values personified by the King himself.

Jordan's new Parliament is the first to reflect Hussein's decision last year to sever the country's administrative and legal links to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Half the members of the previous Parliament had theoretically represented the West Bank; all members of the new Parliament are residents of the East Bank.

Hussein's change of policy posed a dilemma for Jordanians of Palestinian origin. Most of them wanted to vote, but by doing so some feared they might be adding fuel to the argument of right-wing Israelis that Jordan, rather than the West Bank, should be viewed as the true Palestinian homeland.

The King pronounced himself "quite satisfied" with the election outcome. But the potential exists for Muslim Brotherhood legislators to form a coalition with radical leftists to embarrass him. To be sure, the Hashemite King retains the power to disband Parliament and rule without it. But after calling the elections under popular pressure, he would presumably be reluctant to exercise such authority.