Amman: Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Haditha Alkhraisheh Saturday urged Amman mayor and members of the governorate councils to encourage the public to cast ballots in the September 10 parliamentary elections, based on platforms and programs and to shun populist agendas. He told a meeting that the ministry, in meetings it is holding, aims to encourage citizens to vote in order to reach parliamentary outcomes in line with the national political modernization scheme. Jordanian society has positively interacted with political modernization with 95,000 registered in 38 parties, he pointed out, urging voters to evaluate the political and electoral programs that parties will announce and choose the party that can best represent their aspirations and priorities. He noted that His Majesty King Abdullah II has called on Jordanians to raise the decision-making base, adding that the upcoming polls are a landmark stage in Jordan, and citizens should participate and elect their candidates for the next Lower House based on political programs. The minister said the upcoming parliamentary elections are different from any previous elections, because the next Lower House will differ in its shape and make-up, as for the first time in it history, a minimum of 41 seats will be allocated to parties, a ratio that will increase to 50 percent of deputies in the 21st Jordanian parliament, and to 65 percent in the next parliament. Source: Jordan News Agency