AMMAN, 2 May 2008 — The Consultative Council of Jordan’s influential Muslim Brotherhood movement yesterday elected hard-line Hammam Saeed as new leader, reliable Islamic sources said.

Saeed, a former member of the lower house of Parliament, narrowly won the post in severe competition with former leader, Salem Falahat, who lost with one-vote edge.

The new leader, who descends from a Palestinian origin, apparently won the support of hawks, who back the Palestinian hard-line Hamas group currently in control of the Gaza Strip.

Falahat, a dovish Islamist, came under fire from hard-liners since he was chosen several months ago by King Abdallah as member of the upper house of Parliament, also known as the King’s Council.

The Muslim Brotherhood movement has been for decades leading opposition in the country mainly through its political arm, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), which suffered a major setback in the last general elections in November.

The IAF won only six seats in the 110-member lower house compared with 17 seats in the outgoing chamber. The echoing defeat of the IAF, the country’s largest political party, was blamed mainly on the leadership’s choice of moderate candidates to run the elections.

Local commentators suggested that Saeed’s choice as new leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement could trigger confrontation with the government, which supports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas versus Hamas.

Mohammed Abu Rumman, an expert on Islamic affairs, told reporters that Saeed, a law professor, “is considered a hawk” among the Brotherhood. He expected Saeed’s election “to boost strained ties” between the group and the authorities.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan was set up in 1942 and is represented in Parliament by the opposition Islamic Action Front, which has had six MPs in the 110-seat lower house since the November 2007 polls. Saeed is a former member of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry announced yesterday that Iraqis wanting to enter Jordan now have to have a visa as part of plans to stem a huge influx of refugees.

“The requirement for our Iraqi brothers to have visas came into effect on May 1,” ministry spokesman Ziad Al-Zohbi told AFP, adding that applications could be made through a courier service in Iraq or at Jordanian embassies. Earlier this year, Jordan announced plans to impose visa requirements on Iraqis in a bid to stem a huge influx of refugees that authorities estimate have cost more the kingdom than two billion dollars.

—With input from agencies