The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, has announced it will change its name to “National Party” at the request of the Central Election Commission.
It is currently the largest party in parliament, but lacks power.
Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood last year after discovering terrorist cells linked to the Brotherhood, but its political wing has been allowed to continue its work.
However, party members are under strong pressure from General Intelligence Directorate raids and investigations into some members accused of money laundering and financial crimes.
Jordan is a Constitutional Monarchy where the executive power is held by the king.
The parliament still has a political role to play, but is secondary to the monarch, who nominates the prime minister.
People of Palestinian origin constitute around 60% of the population, many of which vote for the Islamic Action Front.
The original population, meaning the Arabs who lived in the East Bank before 1948, seldomly vote for the Muslim Brotherhood party. They usually support the King and various parties and independent MP allied with the monarchy.
This political reality has been entrenched since the Black September events of 1970, when Palestinian refugees tried to establish a “state-within-a-state” and overthrow the Jordanian monarchy.
The conflict ended in 1971, with the PLO being expelled and moving to Lebanon, resulting in the start of a civil war there instead.