Jordan’s King Abdullah has designated key palace aide Jafar Hassan as high minister after the government resigned on Sunday, the royal court stated, days after a parliamentary election in which the Islamist opposition made some gains within the US-allied kingdom.
Hassan, now head of King Abdullah’s station of job and a extinct planning minister, replaces Bisher Khasawneh, a ragged diplomat and extinct palace adviser who changed into appointed virtually four years within the past, a royal court assertion stated.
Khasawneh will dwell on in a caretaker skill till the formation of a recent cabinet, the assertion stated.
Harvard-trained Hassan, a extensively revered technocrat, will face the challenges of mitigating the impact of the Gaza war on the dominion’s financial system, arduous-hit by curbs to funding and a pointy fall in tourism.
In Hassan’s appointment letter, the king stated democracy must be strengthened within the nation and that its financial future hinged on pushing ahead with donor-backed mega-infrastructure projects in energy and water.
The outgoing high minister had sought to drive reforms pushed by King Abdullah to assist reverse a decade of unhurried growth, hovering at around 2%, that changed into worsened by the pandemic and battle in neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
The usual conservative institution had long been blamed for obstructing a modernisation drive advocated by the Western-leaning monarch, fearing liberal reforms would erode their grip on energy.
Politicians express a key job ahead is accelerating IMF-guided reforms and reining in better than $50 billion in public debt in a nation with high unemployment and whose stability is supported by billions of bucks of international assist from Western donors.
The Muslim Brotherhood opposition and ideological allies of Palestinian fighter community Hamas made major gains in Tuesday’s election, boosted by madden over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Islamists gained 31 seats, primarily the most since parliamentary existence changed into revived in 1989 after decades of martial regulations, leaving them the excellent political grouping in parliament.
In a nation where anti-Israel sentiment runs high, they delight in got led one of the crucial most excellent protests within the station in give a snatch to of Hamas, which their opponents express allowed them to fetch greater their popularity.
Even though the contemporary composition of the 138-member parliament retains a official-government majority, the more vocal Islamist-led opposition could possibly well philosophize IMF-backed free-market reforms and international policy, diplomats and officials express.
Under Jordan’s structure, most powers restful leisure with the king, who appoints governments and can dissolve parliament. The assembly can drive a cabinet to resign by a vote of no confidence.
