Pro-reform groups in Jordan have boycotted the country’s ongoing parliamentary elections, the first general polls since protests in several Arab countries ousted a number of autocratic regimes.

The opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, that have boycotted the election believe the electoral system is manipulated in favor of King Abdullah’s government.

Over two million Jordanians are eligible to vote in the polls, in which 1,500 candidates will run for 150 seats in the lower house of parliament. It will be the first time that Jordan’s prime minister is supposed to emerge from among the winning candidates, rather than by appointment by the king.

Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said on Tuesday that the Jordanian government has tightened security measures by assigning 47,000 police officers to polling and vote-counting centers.

“Crafting a modern democratic society will be the product of our learning and developing together over time, not a single moment or set of reforms,” Abdullah has said.

The Jordanian king dissolved the parliament and called early elections in October 2012 in response to growing calls for political reforms and the end to corruption.

Jordanians have been holding demonstrations since January 2011, demanding political reforms, including the election of the prime minister by popular vote and an end to corruption.

They have also called for a boycott of parliamentary elections, urging King Abdullah to step down from power.

Since the demonstrations began, Jordanian ruler King Abdullah II has sacked three prime ministers to appease the protesters.

TE/PKH/HJL