Political Representation of Persons with Disabilities in Ministerial and Parliamentary Positions in Jordan: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The study aims to explore the reality of political representation of persons with disabilities in current ministerial and parliamentary positions in Jordan, and to demonstrate the adequacy of Jordanian legislative systems in ensuring the representation of persons with disabilities in these positions. The study has theoretical importance, as it contributes to filling the academic gap on its subject, provides an introduction to studies of democracy, rights, and political participation, and encourages researchers to pursue it. On the practical side, the study contributes to ensuring that persons with disabilities hold ministerial and parliamentary positions in Jordan and are well represented in them. So, this will help bridge the political and social divides among Jordanian society, benefiting people with disabilities and Jordanian society as a whole.

The study seeks to answer its main question: How can we understand and address the reality of political representation of persons with disabilities in ministerial and parliamentary positions in Jordan? To answer this question, the study used the descriptive method and the analytical legal method as well. The study reaches several results, which can be summarized as follows: Although there are no restrictions in Jordanian legislation preventing persons with disabilities from holding ministerial and parliamentary positions, these persons are not represented in current ministerial and parliamentary positions in Jordan. It was found that Jordanian legislative rules are not sufficient to ensure that persons with disabilities hold ministerial and parliamentary positions and are well represented in them.