His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday said political parties should adopt platforms that meet the aspirations of all Jordanians from different brackets of society.

“We are eager to begin a new phase, and there is nothing that we are afraid of,” King Abdullah said during a meeting with secretaries general and representatives of the various political parties.

Parties' programmes should “represent the entire national fabric and all the different social and political currents”, the King told the politicians.

By developing their programmes that should seek economic development and improved living standards of Jordanians, parties will garner the support of youths, the King noted.

Political development requires the presence of developed partisan life, the King said, highlighting the importance of having strong and effective parties that present clear and well defined action plans and play a key role in the reform process.

“When we speak about political reform, we are speaking about an elections law and a parties law that should achieve national consensus, in a manner that fulfils the aspirations of all Jordanians and keeps up with new developments,” the King explained.

He urged the new government to initiate a national dialogue that leads to a consensus on legislation that regulates political action, emphasising the importance of the parties' participation in this dialogue.

Party representatives said legislative changes should be “real and engage the spectra of society in the development and the decision-making processes”.

The envisaged amendments, they added, are also expected to foster the principle of separation of powers.