The phenomenon of parliamentary violence in Jordan : causes and consequences

الملخص EN

Background: Violence in the Jordanian parliament is now receiving a great attention as it creates a serious challenge to democracy, in addition to being a blatant violation to human rights.

Aim of the Study: the study aims to acknowledge and understand the problem as the first step towards seeking solutions.

In addition, it aims to explore the causes and consequences of this phenomenon.

Research Method: This is mainly a cross-section descriptive study, and the secondary data and insights were drawn extensively from the conflict theorists.

Results: The study has revealed that violence cases in the house of deputies increased in the last three councils (16th,17th, and 18th).

This increasing rate has been accompanied by amendments made to the electoral law of the 2010, 2013 and 2016 elections, taking into consideration the wide range of parties, led by the IAF that boycotted these elections, having led to a profound impact on the nature and structure of parliament and accordingly on the rate of violence.

Recommendations: Among many other recommendations, the study shows that there is a real need for creating an encouraging environment for political parties and enhancing their capacities to become active and play an important role in the upcoming parliamentary elections, through designing the most suitable electoral systems to achieve positive outcomes.