BRIDGE grows in Jordan
29 June 2008
The course is the second of a planned three courses held for the various ministries involved in elections in Jordan. The first course was held in April and the third is scheduled for July 2008. The course was an important development in the electoral landscape of Jordan, exposing the participants to international models and examples from all over the world.
The June-course covered similar topics as the April-course, focussing on:
- Day 1: Election Principles
- Day 2: Electoral Systems
- Day 3: Electoral Management
- Day 4: Planning
- Day 5: Planning
The course was run in Arabic with translation and was facilitated by Rushdi Nackerdien, Emad Youssof, Hermann Thiel and Sawsan Tawil. Sawsan gained her full accreditation during the course. The venue was excellent, being large enough to accommodate ice-breakers and energisers in the same room. Measure roughly 22 metres by 11 metres, it proved more than adequate for the purposes of the course.
Though quite experienced in Jordanian elections, participants were delighted to be exposed to examples of election administration from Palestine, Africa, Australia and Europe. Many of the participants expressed their interest in the different electoral systems and their operational and political implications.
Administrative support from IFES Jordan was truly outstanding and made the entire course seem effortless. It speaks volumes for having run the course earlier in April, as much of the material only required slight changes, as well as allowing the facilitators greater freedom to add new content aspects. In the absence of the administrative readiness, more time would have been spent on basic course logistics, limiting the focus on facilitation. The next course in July can safely build on this foundation and be run in a more nuanced manner.