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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/world/middleeast/01jordan.html
Islamic Opposition Pulls Out of Jordanian Municipal Elections
[New York Times] Hassan M. Fattah - The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan and the most influential political opposition group, abruptly withdrew from nationwide Jordanian municipal council elections on Tuesday, citing voting irregularities in the elections, which were seen as a test for the more politically sensitive parliamentary elections this fall. Marouf al-Bakhit, Jordan's prime minister, said the Islamic Action Front's withdrawal was illegal. Jordan has long tried to engage and co-opt its Islamic opposition, which is one of the few officially sanctioned Islamist political parties in the Middle East. However, with the rise of Hamas in the Palestinian territories and growing fears of an Islamist ascendancy throughout the region, the government has worked to ensure the group does not make any major political gains.