The CEC, represented by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mr. Hisham Kuhail, participated in the international conference on "Elections and democratic transition in the Arab world" held in Jordan during the period between January 26th and 27th, 2008. The CEC participation came as a response to invitation from Al-Quds Center for political studies and Konard-Adenauer-stiftung organization in Amman.
This conference is considered the second for the' Reform and democratic change in the Arab world network". The conference was attended by a number of outstanding politicians, researchers, and Arab academics and discussed "the impact of elections on the democratic transition process in the Arab world" through a number of workshops.
The conference discussed a number of issues related to elections in the Arab world such as the impact of elections on the democratic transition and political reform, the quota systems as models for increasing women participation and representation in the Arab parliaments, and the impact of political parties participation (or boycott) in the elections as well as the role of political parties in the electoral processes. The attendees also discussed the electoral systems and laws in the Arab world through a comparative analysis. The conference was concluded by a number of recommendations that will contribute in ensuring of a more integrate and transparent elections in the Arab world.
It should be indicated that the conference was held with participation from a number of Arab countries such as (Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan).