Setback for Jordan’s Islamic front

Their victory was expected and attributed to the strong influence of family and tribal links on voting in Jordan.

Hayet al-Musaymeh, an IAF female candidate, who held a seat in the previous parliament, also lost her bid in the elections.

Instead, seven other women, both liberals and conservatives who ran as independents, won seats.

Official figures are expected to be announced at an interior ministry press conference on Wednesday.

Fraud allegations 

A spokesman for the IAF had told Al Jazeera that voting irregularities were found across the country.

In video

David Chater reports on the Jordan parliamentary poll

He said the electoral monitoring system broke down and a lot of unregistered voters were bussed into various stations.

Al Jazeera’s David Chater said the whole electoral system was geared towards maintaining the king’s power base in parliament and whoever got elected, that support for the monarchy would remain.

He said the IAF, despite its complaints, had in fact cut a deal with Abdullah, fielding the 22 candidates for the 110 seats.

New PM 

Meanwhile, Abdullah is expected to appoint a new prime minister “in the coming few days” to form a government after the elections, officials said.

Nader Dahabi, the head of a special economic zone in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, is expected to replace Marouf Bakhit, who had served as prime minister since November 2005, officials told AFP news agency.

Born in 1946, Dahabi served as transport minister from 2001 to 2003.

He had headed the Royal Jordanian airlines from 1994 to 2001.