His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday stressed the important role of the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) and the need to preserve its independence as part of the country’s comprehensive reform process.

During a meeting with members of the IEC board of commissioners at Al Husseiniya Palace, King Abdullah asserted the need for the continued improvement of the IEC’s performance and skills of its staff to meet international criteria and to become a distinguished regional election centre.

His Majesty noted that the IEC should start with its preparations for municipal and governorate councils’ elections within the timeframe set in the roadmap of political reform.

“You have a lot of work ahead of you… and we are fully prepared to assist you through providing necessary capabilities and training,” the King told commissioners.

His Majesty expressed his full support and that of the various government bodies for the IEC in this regard, stressing the importance of reinforcing the independence of the commission to guarantee free and fair elections.

As for the commission, “the most important thing is its independence, and this is a priority, along with transparency in its work”, the King noted at the meeting, which was also attended by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh and His Majesty’s Office Director Jafar Hassan.

For their part, IEC commissioners highlighted the strides the commission has made so far since its inception in 2012.

IEC President Riyadh Shakaa discussed the commission’s accomplishments, its future tasks and “relentless” efforts to coordinate with the various concerned parties to ensure that it does its election oversight job as smoothly as possible.