Amman, Sept. 9 (Petra) -- The Parliamentary Bloc of the Initiative Party, chaired by MP Ahmad Al-Hmeisat, discussed on Wednesday with Director-General of the Department of Statistics, Haidar Freihat, several issues related to statistics and the population census, including its implementation mechanisms and objectives, in light of rapid developments in digital transformation.

Al-Hmeisat said statistics and the population census represented an important national project, questioning the objectives of the statistical process, including whether it aimed to determine poverty and unemployment rates in the Kingdom, and what new elements would be included in the 2026 statistics.

MPs Tareq Bani Hani, Hammoud Al-Zawahreh, Rand Al-Khazouz, Mohammad Al-Bustangi, Amal Al-Shaqran, Hussein Al-Amoush, Abdul Hadi Breizat, Mustafa Al-Khasawneh, Badr Al-Harahsheh, Ferial Bani Salman, Mohammad Al-Mahamid and Shifa Al-Muqabaleh called for moving statistics and the census beyond their traditional framework and adopting digital and electronic methods, particularly as a large proportion of government services had been automated and made available through the Sanad application.

They said conducting the census electronically would save the government time and costs, praising the role of the Department of Statistics.

Freihat said the upcoming population census would be the seventh in the Kingdom's history, noting that statistical surveys were conducted daily to determine unemployment rates and other indicators.

The census questionnaire contains 65 questions, he said.

Despite technological advances and digital transformation in many countries around the world, those countries had not abandoned household visits in conducting census operations, Freihat said, stressing the importance of field visits in collecting data.

He said the Department of Statistics had taken all necessary measures to protect statistical information and data.

The population census was also part of Jordan's commitment to relevant international standards and obligations concerning population censuses and official statistics, he added.

//Petra// AF