Liberation Party was Still deemed illegal in they asked for detail6 about the elections, indication of possible reStriCtiOnS, as well 60nstituencies. Members also wanted to know charged or convicted, had the right to Vote. In connection with Jordan. new electoral legisletioa, with 86 the division into whether detainees, whether an z;jedThe representative of the State party, in response to the questions I said that there were no accurate statistics in Jordan on the percentage of women who participated in the conduct of public affairs, but he assured the As to elections, he explained Committee that they played a very active part. and villages, that thay were held under the usual rules; in the municipalities womenfully exercised their rights as candidate6 and as voters. He explained that the new Electoral Act guaranteed respect for international principles in the matter. The Government had embarked on a study of ways and means of giving effect to the Act and was considering, for example, that each citizen 6kould receive an electoral number and should be entered in a register. The llsw Act would give the right to vote to all person6 everywhere, including persons under arrest for criminal acts, whether charged or convicted. Since the latest elections, in 1989, no organisation or association with aims that were in keeping with the Constitution and the National Charter had been declared illegal. The Islamic Liberation Party, which covered various extremist religious groups, could (as could all parties), apply to the Ministry of the Interior to be entered in the register of political organizations, an application that would be granted if their aims were in conformity with the Constitution. 612. On this issue, member6 of the Committee asked for information on the demographic composition of the Jordanian population. They also asked what the status of Jordanian citizens of Palestinian origin was and whether they were considered a6 Jordanian6 or chiefly as Palestinians. 613. The representative of the State party, in response to questions, said that the Jordanian population was more than 93 per cent Muslim, while the remainder were Christian. Each community had its own courts, which tried cases specific to each community. Under the new electoral provisions, the Christian minority could obtain seats in Parliament. Again, under the Jordanian Nationality Act, any citizen who had legally been naturaliced was Jordanian, with all the right6 and obligations involved, irrespective of the Place of origin. 614. Members of the Committee thanked the representatives of the State party car their readiness to cooperate with the Committee and welcomed the recent Progress in the field of human right6 in Jordan, as was demonstrated more Particularly by the adoption of the National Charter, which had been elaborated by representative6 from the whole political spectrum in Jordan and hence was a work of undeniable unity. Member6 also noted that the trend in Jordan was towards abolition of the regulations applied under martial law and tllat new bills had been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies. Members also Pointed out that despite the period of profound political and social change, -149-