Political Parties, Tribalism, and Democratic Practice in Jordan

Despite the shift towards democracy and political reform throughout the Middle East, this movement failed to make any political gains for several factors. In Jordan, the weaknesses of the political parties and their tribalized activities are viewed as primary reasons why the democratic reforms in Jordan failed to come to fruition. This study aims to address this issue, specifically the role of political parties in democracy practice in Jordan, the weaknesses of the political parties, the effect of tribalism on the political process, and the factors that hinder the democratization process in Jordan. A total of 380 Jordanian partisans took part in a survey questionnaire that was distributed in Jordan.  The participants’ responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the results revealed that political participation in Jordan is marred by tribal and authoritarian tendencies. Tribalism has a great influence on the parties’ activities and elections. These results lend important insights into the factors that hinder democratization process in Jordan in the light of the Arab Spring and current democratic revolutions demanding political reforms in the Middle East.