Jordan's municipal elections - traditionally marked by poor attendance and voting along tribal lines - were held on Tuesday with official media reporting turnout at just 15 per cent by 2pm local time, half the final turnout in the last municipal elections in 2017.
All significant powers in the country are held by King Abdullah II, with the executive branch and local councils in charge of the daily provision of services.
The authorities, which have intensified a crackdown on dissent in the last three years, have been encouraging people to vote.
They declared Tuesday a holiday, and Prime Minster Bisher Al Khasawneh described the vote as embodying decentralisation.
Polling stations across the capital Amman, many installed at government schools, were mostly empty by early afternoon.
Police carrying automatic rifles stood in front of the polling centres to ensure no disruptions.
The youth are never really heard. None of my friends I think will vote.
Ibrahim Mseis
In Jabal Weibdeh district, a couple who run a family accounting business said they voted for clean candidates for the Amman municipality who did not attempt to lure voters with money.
“It will take us 40 to 50 years for the civil society to be effective and have an impact on decision making,” said Jamal Abu Darwish.
His wife, Inshirah Abu Eishe, said she voted for young candidates out of “duty”.
Weibdeh is one of the original seven hills of Amman. The city, situated in a semi-desert landscape, is home to 40 per cent of Jordan’s population of 10 million.
Despite a rapid rise in Amman’s population in the last decade, roads and other infrastructure have barely improved.
An estate agent in Jabal Weibdeh said he did not vote because “none of the candidates can turn things around.”
At a cafe frequented by young people in the district, Ibrahim Mseis, a customer, did not even know there were elections going on.
“The youth are never really heard. None of my friends I think will vote,” said Mr Mseis, a supply chain specialist.
More interest in the polls was reported in outlaying areas, where clans traditionally hold meetings to reach a consensus on which candidates to back several months in advance.
Hiba, a blue collar worker from Ramtha, a northern city at the border with Syria, said she purposefully stayed away from her home town because her father would pressure her to vote for a relative.
“Since I was in fifth grade, and it is more or less the same people who control the municipality in Ramtha,” the 34-year-old said.
ELIO
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The specs
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- On sale: 2026
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
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11. Argentina
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15. United States
16. Russia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
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Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
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The Two Popes
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce
Four out of five stars
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
