October 1956 Parliamentary Elections and Heading Cabinet by the Socialist National Party
Ahmad Al-Qthah, Qassim University, KSA.
Abstract
This study addresses October 1956 parliamentary elections in Jordan and heading cabinet by the Socialist National party relying on published and unpublished foreign, Arab and official documentations, memoirs and face-to-face interviews, which are considered as important and informative documentary resource for historical research studies.
The study demonstrated that, on background of the manipulated 1954 elections with participation of militant voters, and attempts by Tawfiq Abu Al-Huda to vote down oppositional candidates, political opposition thus proclaimed for a partial free elections where the 1956 elections were the peak response to their demands. However arrangements for elections were in progress, the Palace was tending to postpone the process considering surrounding conditions of the Israeli invasions across Jordan borders, the fear of widening divisions in the country as a result of disagreements among candidates which discouraged conducting the elections. Finally, the Palace agreed on conducting the elections as they represented the major demand of the participating parties. The parties freely introduced their programs which basically reflected Jordan people's demands as represented by termination of the British-Jordan treaty, resisting Western alliances, cancellation of the British aids and replacing it with Arab aids. The parties thus won the elections and King Hussein was motivated to have Suleiman Al-Nabilsi forming the first coalition cabinet from political parties. People demands including releasing freedoms, termination of the British-Jordan treaty, and alignment with the Arab attitudes of Syria and Egypt have also appeared on the ministerial statement of the Nabilsi's cabinet.