The media spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, Muhammad Khair Al-Rawashdeh, confirmed that the head of the polling committee is authorized to take the appropriate legal action against those who vote illiterate (publicly).

This came during a press conference held by the Independent Commission, this morning, Tuesday, a few hours after the start of the voting process, and in response to a question about the existence of public voting in a number of governorates.

Al-Rawashdeh confirmed that the head of the polling committee can disqualify the (public) vote and transfer the offending person to the public prosecutor, according to what the law allows.

Irbid Governorate recorded the highest turnout for the polling process in the provincial and municipal council elections, and the Amman Municipality, until nine o’clock in the morning, two hours after the polls opened at seven o’clock this morning.

The number of voters in Irbid Governorate until nine in the morning reached 22,792, including 15,866 women, and 6,926 women, a rate of 2.79 percent, according to figures from the Independent Election Commission.

The Capital Governorate came in second in terms of turnout, with a turnout of 1.19 percent, after 21,711 male and female voters cast their votes since the start of the polling process, including 15,225 males and 6,486 females.

Ma’an Governorate topped the polling rates until 9 am, reaching 6.23 percent, after 5,474 female and male voters registered, including 3,400 males and 2,744 females.

The general turnout at the level of the Kingdom in the elections, which is considered the second under the Defense Law, was 2.33 percent, with males registering 1.59 percent and females 0.74 percent, according to the independent election statistics update at nine in the morning.