Jordan king accepts PM Al-Khasawneh's resignation, appoints a technocrat
- In Reports
- 05:07 PM, Sep 16, 2024
- Myind Staff
King Abdullah II of Jordan has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh's government after parliamentary elections last week. The elections were marked by widespread frustration over Israel's war on Gaza. Al-Khasawneh, 55, has been prime minister since October 2020 and brought a lot of diplomatic experience to the role.
He was replaced by Jafar Hassan, a technocrat and former planning minister who is currently heading the king's office. A statement from the royal palace claims that King Abdullah has ordered the present government to continue in caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.
Under the kingdom's constitution, the government traditionally resigns after legislative elections. Instead of the parliament, the king appoints the prime minister. The parliament has limited power. Jordan has a bicameral parliament. Every four years Jordanians elect members to the House of Representatives. The king appoints all 65 members of the Senate, the upper house of the parliament.
The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, has won 31 out of the 138 seats in the parliament following its lead share with the Tuesday elections. This, however represents the party's highest ever share of seats since 1989. Despite a low turnout of 32 percent, the party's success came amid voter frustration over economic difficulties and Israel's war on Gaza. Jordan became the second Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 after Egypt.
Since Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, Jordan is experiencing a sensitive political situation. Yet, Jordan maintained diplomatic ties with Israel. In April, when Iran launched a retaliatory attack on Israel, Jordan intervened by shooting down missiles that flew over its territory. This has upset many people in Jordan, especially since a large part of the population are descendants of Palestinians who were displaced during the Nakba and the 1967 war.
The whole crisis in Gaza has affected other sectors mainly tourism, which constitutes around 14 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in Jordan. The kingdom also depends on foreign aid mainly from the United States and International Monetary Fund. Jordan's unemployment rate was twenty-one percent in the first quarter of 2024.
Image source: Al Jazeera
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