Among the other positive aspects, what the Jordanian arena is witnessing regarding the termination of the existence of some political parties and the decline in their number should not be viewed in itself as a negative indicator. The success of partisan life is not measured by the abundance of licensed parties, but by the presence of political organizations capable of complying with the provisions of the law, possessing internal institutional structures and clear programs for active participation in public life.
Accordingly, the exit of parties that are unable to meet legal requirements will contribute, over time, to reshaping the partisan landscape on more realistic bases, so that the parties most capable of organization, institutional work, and achieving the goals for which they were established continue. The goal of political modernization was not to increase the number of parties, but to reach a stable partisan life based on entities capable of exercising their political role in a sustainable manner, even if their number is limited.
In contrast, the judicial decision to dissolve an existing Jordanian party carries negative implications that should not be ignored, relating to the reality of some parties that were formed over the past years. The arrival of a political party to the stage of dissolution due to violations related to the management of its financial affairs and the obligations incumbent upon it under the law gives the impression that the establishment of some parties took place hastily, without being accompanied by internal institutional building capable of ensuring their continuity and fulfilling their legal obligations.
Partisan work is not limited to merely gathering the required number of members for the purposes of completing the establishment requirements, but rather has clear ABCs beginning with the presence of organized partisan management, active internal structures, adherence to the rules of transparency and disclosure, and the submission of financial data and accounts in accordance with what the law decides. These requirements are not marginal procedural matters, but are at the core of institutional partisan work, reflecting the party's ability to transition from a mere legally registered entity into a political institution capable of continuity and influence.
Furthermore, the financial discipline of political parties is directly linked to citizens' trust in them; a party that presents itself as a political option to participate in governance is required to model governance and transparency within its partisan institution. Hence, orderly records, accounts, and the disclosure thereof do not merely represent compliance with the texts of the law, but are considered an indicator of the party's ability to shoulder greater responsibilities in managing public affairs.
In short, the recent judicial ruling should not be read merely as a case concerning a specific party, but rather as an opportunity to review the partisan experience in the phase of political modernization. What is happening may be part of a natural sorting process of the partisan landscape, in which parties incapable of continuity recede, in contrast to the entrenchment of the most organized and capable parties. The success of the experiment is not measured by the number of parties, but by their ability to transform into real political institutions capable of performing the role for which they were established.
* Professor of Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Jordan
l.nasrawin@ju.edu.jo
