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Amman: Possible division in IAF over election ban on new members

The Islamic Action Front (MB offshoot in Jordan) is expected to hold party elections in two months despite ongoing differences over granting new members the right to cast ballots, officials report.

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The Islamic Action Front (MB offshoot in Jordan) is expected to hold party elections in two months despite ongoing differences over granting new members the right to cast ballots, officials report.

In a meeting Saturday evening, the party’s Shura council declined resignations submitted by senior members over a ban preventing new members from taking part in the upcoming elections.

The resignations, submitted by Ibrahim Khreisat and Mohammad Zyod, were seen as a sign of growing discontent within the party’s ranks over the ban. The decision, currently being disputed by an internal judicial committee, confines internal voting to activists with three years of IAF membership, while candidates must have been part of the party for 10 years.

 The council was unable to reach a final decision regarding voter eligibility after a number of Shura council members walked out, prompting leaders to call off the session due to a lack of quorum.

A meeting was scheduled for next week to finalise the issue of member voting, according to IAF Secretary General Ishaq Farhan.

The IAF, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, will hold internal elections at its 24 branches across the Kingdom to choose Shura council representatives and local leadership.

In its meeting, held at the party’s headquarters, party leaders also stressed the need to separate the IAF from the Muslim Brotherhood at the organizational level.

Recent reports suggest that the Islamist movement is about to introduce changes to its internal system under which the group would formally distance the Muslim Brotherhood from its political branch.