The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Wednesday said the candidates running in Amman to deposit JD2,000 as a guarantee to abide by campaigning regulations have only three days to do so, or they should remove their campaigning materials
“By the end of the registration period, only 63 out of 200 registered candidates in the capital had provided the deposit,” according to the GAM.
Last week, the municipality announced that parliamentary election candidates will be required to deposit JD2,000 in its Finance Department, which will be refunded if the candidate adheres to the rules governing advertisement campaigns within the capital.
Candidates will have to remove their posters and other campaign material one week after the end of polling in order to reclaim their deposits, otherwise the municipality will confiscate the amount and remove the material at the candidates’ expense.
The regulations prohibit the use of adhesives and also define the specifications of posters to be used in campaigning, including the material, which must be lightweight and not made of wood or metal.
The regulations also focus on fixing the posters firmly so they do not pose a threat to the public and stipulate that any posters causing visual pollution and damaging the architectural features of a building will be removed.
In addition, billboards should be hung a minimum of 4.5 metres above the street surface, according to the regulation, but this rule only applies to posters that are fixed above streets with pedestrians and cars passing underneath.
The posters, which should not exceed 5 square metres, are allowed only in proximity of circles, crossroads and traffic lights.
GAM said candidates who started campaigning before the permitted date would have to pay for the removal of their posters and other campaign materials, in addition to 25 per cent of the total as administrative expenses.