His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday urged all eligible voters to exercise their right to vote by electing candidates who best represent them and reflect their aspirations, adding that voting is a national duty.

During a visit to the Governorate of Madaba where he addressed over 400 community leaders, King Abdullah emphasised that citizens are partners in building the future and in the decision-making process.

“The most important things for me are the welfare of citizens and securing the best future,” the King said, stressing that cooperation and participation represent the best means to realise that objective.

“Through cooperation, serious work built on programmes, and giving priority to the public interest, we will be more capable of serving the country and citizens,” the King said.

The King said he is aware of the governorate's needs, and stressed that there are projects and programmes in place to meet these needs. He added that the government has been instructed to draft necessary plans and begin a dialogue with the private sector to develop infrastructure that supports tourism, a main industry in Madaba, and to agree on practical steps to realise the required achievements.

He expressed satisfaction with the completion of the Third Tourism Project in the city centre of Madaba and said the remaining challenge is maximising local communities' benefit from Madaba's several tourist attractions.

In the field of health, King Abdullah said construction work on a comprehensive military centre in Madaba is scheduled to begin soon. The centre will be the nucleus of a military hospital.

“We will continue to exert our utmost efforts to develop the governorate, improve services for its residents and create jobs that ensure citizens the decent living that they deserve,” King Abdullah said.

He called for a coordination mechanism between Madaba representatives and the government to set priorities and ways to address them, and said he plans to follow up personally on progress in several projects in the governorate.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Samir Rifai said the government is implementing a total of 19 projects in different sectors in the governorate at a total cost of JD18.7 million. He said the completion rate for all the projects stands at about 87 per cent, adding that among completed projects is the rehabilitation of Madaba city centre, an initiative to attract tourists and investments.

The premier added that a total of JD4 million was allocated this year for the creation and expansion of several schools in the governorate.

The government, he said, has also allocated JD1 million for the rehabilitation of water networks and expansion of sewage networks in the area.

Rifai added that the government will work on securing financing for several other development projects in Madaba.

Madaba Governor Sameh Majali reviewed the projects that have been successfully implemented in the governorate and explained its main developmental requirements, which include the creation of a military hospital and an industrial zone.

The governorate's needs, he said, also include the expansion of Al Waleh Dam's capacity to meet the increasing demand for water, the appropriation of land for parking areas to reduce traffic jams, the construction of several schools and classrooms, and conducting maintenance on youth centres in the governorate.

King Abdullah had lunch with local representatives attending the meeting.