Jordanians are voting in parliamentary elections today. About 2.5 million Jordanians are eligible to vote to fill the 120 seats in the parliament's lower house. Twelve seats are reserved for women. Tuesday was declared a public holiday to encourage people to vote. A news agency quoted Prime Minister Samir Rifai as saying that he hopef the lower house will represent all Jordanians and enhance the country's achievements. The election follows a year of direct royal rule, after King Abdullah dissolved the previous parliament – which was widely accused of being ineffective – half-way through its four-year term. A fresh poll was delayed to allow a new election law to be drafted, but critics say that this ignored demands for reform. The Islamix Action Front – the political party of the Muslim Brotherhood – pulled out of the vote saying the electoral system is biased in favour of the ruling Hashemites, Jordan's ruling family.The government has agreed, for the first time, to allow 250 international observers to monitor the vote alongside local representatives from non-governmental organisations.