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Muslim Brotherhood Seen as Front-Runner in Jordanian and PA Elections
(Economist-UK) The Hashemite kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have called elections expecting easy wins. Instead, to their surprise, the local arms of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group, have ended their boycotts of the ballot and are now the front-runners. In Jordan, the Islamic Action Front (IAF) is expected to emerge from the Sept. 20 general elections as the largest single party. In the PA, some speculate that Hamas might sweep all eight of the West Bank's cities in municipal elections set for Oct. 8. In Jordan, gerrymandering ensures that East Bank Bedouin get the lion's share of seats. At best, says an IAF candidate, the Islamists will gain 25% of the seats.