Jordan: Tweets Cover Parliamentary Election Flaws

Jordanians went to the polls yesterday. A total of 763 candidates, including 143 women, vied for 120 seats in parliament. As the voting continued, Twitter user Naseem Tawarnah provided up-to-the-minute updates of allegations of violence and voting fraud.

He began in the morning:

Arrests of 40 people in Madaba and 10 in Jerash where fights have broken out on #JOelections day http://is.gd/gRnKP #JO

The posts continued:

Armed men block voters from getting to polls in Mafraq. More forged ID cards found in Ramtha. Oh Joy. http://is.gd/gRnRz #JOelections

Before noon, the pace of tweets picked up, and Tawarnah was adding timestamps to his posts.

11:37am: Supporters shoot up the car of a rival candidate in Madaba. No injuries. http://is.gd/gRrUi #JOelections

He reported violence in Ma'an, Madaba, Amman, Mafraq and Tafila, respectively.

11:48am: Police arrest 4 men armed with AK-47s in Ma'an, one of whom is the brother of a candidate. http://is.gd/gRsDp #JOelections

11:57am: Drunk driver rams car into polling station. Injures 2. Police arrest 30 knife/axe-wielding citizens http://is.gd/gRrUi #JOelections

12:01pm: Police clash with Amman 5th district candidate who questioned the integrity of the voting process http://is.gd/gRrUi #JOelections

Fight breaks out between 3 candidates in Mafraq. Polling station committee chair beaten up & his cell stolen http://is.gd/gRrUi #joelections

Police use tear gas in Tafieleh 2break up crowd of supporters attempting 2 block voters of another candidate http://is.gd/gRrUi #JOelections

Later, Tawarnah reported with irony,

12:33pm: Minister of Interior blames low Amman turnout on “pampered” residents who wake up late. Priceless http://is.gd/gRrUi #JOelections

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