Less than a week after dissolving the parliament, Jordan's King Abdullah II appointed a new prime minister Wednesday as the country deals with demands for political reform. (Source: persianrealm.com)
Abdullah Ensour, the new prime minister, is tasked with forming a new government -- Jordan's fifth in two years. He was appointed after King Abdullah accepted the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh, the country's royal court said.
Last week, thousands of peaceful protesters gathered in Amman to call for constitutional reforms, saying the king has too much power. They demanded that representatives be able to run for election in a democratic system rather than be under his control.
King Abdullah has also called for early elections, close to the new year.
Arabic Channel Announces appointment by King Abdullah II of Abdullah Ensour as New PM (on Oct 10, 2012):
Al Jazeera Reports appointment by King Abdullah II of Abdullah Ensour as New PM (on Oct 10, 2012) :
*******************************
*******************************
5th PRIME MINISTER IN TWO YEARS
*******************************
*******************************
Abdullah Ensour, the new prime minister, is tasked with forming a new government -- Jordan's fifth in two years. He was appointed after King Abdullah accepted the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh, the country's royal court said.
Former PM Awn
al-Khasawneh, an international judge, resigned
in favor of Fayez
al-Tarawneh earlier this year (Al Arabiya on Oct 17, 2011):
**********************************************
**********************************************
PREMIERSHIP
Abdullah Ensour is Jordan's new prime minister
***********************************************
***********************************************
Jordan's king appoints new PM to form new government byKareem Khadder (cnn)
CNN) -- Less than a week after dissolving the parliament, Jordan's King Abdullah II appointed a new prime minister Wednesday as the country deals with demands for political reform.
Abdullah Ensour, the new prime minister, is tasked with forming a new government -- Jordan's fifth in two years. He was appointed after King Abdullah accepted the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Fayez al-Tarawneh, the country's royal court said.
Last week, thousands of peaceful protesters gathered in Amman to call for constitutional reforms, saying the king has too much power. They demanded that representatives be able to run for election in a democratic system rather than be under his control.
King Abdullah has also called for early elections, close to the new year.
There is no clear deadline for establishing a new government, former parliamentarian Khaled Kalaldeh said. But he said it's in the prime minister's best interest to set up the new administration within 24 hours, due to a planned demonstration Friday by the opposition and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Many have said Jordan's economy is hurting, and too many people cannot afford the high cost of living and are burdened by high inflation. Unemployment numbers are too high, they said, and many young people are without work.
The complaints have been echoed for some time in the kingdom, and gained steam when the Arab Spring began to sweep North Africa and the Middle East in 2010 and 2011. Popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have ousted longtime leaders from power.
In the past two years, King Abdullah has fired four prime ministers. In February 2011, shortly before Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was forced out of office following weeks of intense protest, the king dismissed his government and ordered "genuine political reform," the country's royal court reported.
But the king appears to be in a tough spot. Political reforms would mean taking power away from his base -- the Bedouin tribes, a group known as the East Bankers.
On top of that concern, King Abdullah is also dealing with more than 200,000 Syrian refugees who have entered Jordan recently.
Last Thursday, government spokesman Samih al-Maitah framed the king's decision to dissolve parliament as part of his promised reforms.
"This was not a surprise decision," al-Maitah said. He added that an independent commission to oversee upcoming parliamentary elections will ensure fairness.
But the dissolution of parliament didn't stop the mass protest on Friday, which was organized by the Muslim Brotherhood.
The religious and political group believes Islam is not simply a religion but a way of life. It advocates a move away from secularism and a return to the rules of the Quran as a basis for healthy families, communities and states. The Brotherhood has repeatedly called for political reform in Jordan.
On Wednesday, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing expressed hope for the new government.
"As far as we are concerned, we have no enmity toward any Jordanian person appointed by the king, especially for the appointment of the prime minister," said Nimer Assaf, deputy general secretary for the Islamic Action Front. "We do not look for names, we look for the deeds, and we hope that this next government will go ahead with reforms which the Jordanians have been asking for a very long time."
Related Blogs:
Jordan's King Abdullah II Names International Judge As New Prime Minister
Jordan Protest Remains Remarkably Peaceful After King Calls Early Elections
Jordan King’s endorsement of controversial media law
hints to slow pace of reform
Other Related Blogs on Jordan :
Jordan king orders release of jailed activists accused of "insulting" him
MERCHANTS OF DEATH: Experiencing the military-industrial complex trade show in Jordan
A MIGHTY HEART: Angelina Jolie in Jordan to help Syrian refugees
Jordan King on pockets of Al Qaeda in Syria & Assad’s potential use of chemical weapons
Shah and Shahbanou Farah visit Jordan (1975)
Russell Peters Punk'd by the King of Jordan ;0)
Jordan’s king Abdullah receives Hamas chief after 12-year rupture
Jordan King in talks with Mahmoud Abbas on Palestinian statehood bid
Jordan's King Abdullah Calls On Syria's President Assad to Step Down
Jordan's King Warns: 'No one has any idea what to do about Syria'
Jordan's King Abdullah II Names International Judge As New Prime Minister
Jordan’s King Abdullah Welcomes Reform Plans Amidst Regional Unrest
Jordan's King Abdullah II announces sweeping reforms
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL: Jordan's King Abdullah II takes You on a Royal Tour
AXIS OF COOPERATION: Egypt, Jordan and Iran working with US in 1950s
STUBBORN WALLS: Ben Gurion, Hussein, Nasser interviews on ME Peace Process
Recently by Darius Kadivar | Comments | Date |
---|---|---|
TOMBSTONE: Bidding Goodbye to Iranian.com (ers) | 4 | Dec 05, 2012 |
ROYAL PREGNANCY: Prince William, Duchess of Cambridge Announce Pregnancy | 3 | Dec 04, 2012 |
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Golshifteh Farahani & Sienna Miller in Road Movie ‘Just Like a Woman » | - | Dec 03, 2012 |
Person | About | Day |
---|---|---|
نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |
Some Jordanians call for overthrow of King after gas price hike
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Nov 16, 2012 04:31 PM PSTJordanians call for overthrow after gas price hike (cnn)
CNN) -- Demonstrators in Amman, Jordan, battled riot police Wednesday in a fury over gas prices. And those who stayed after the tear gas and water cannons were fired did something rare in that nation: They chanted slogans against King Abdullah.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
'Gunman' killed in Jordan unrest
by Darius Kadivar on Thu Nov 15, 2012 01:43 AM PST'Gunman' killed in Jordan unrest (bbc)
Police in Jordan say they have killed a gunman attacking a police station as unrest over rises in fuel prices continues.
Jordan protesters take to streets over fuel price rises
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Nov 13, 2012 11:07 PM PSTFuel price demos erupt in Jordan (bbc)
Thousands of protesters take to the streets in Jordanian cities to condemn rises in fuel prices following the lifting of government subsidies.
Jordan's ex-spy chief jailed to '13 years' for corruption
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:42 PM PSTJordan's ex-spy chief sentenced (bbc)
Jordan's former intelligence chief has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for corruption.
Mohammed al-Dahabi, who was head of the intelligence service from 2005 to 2008, was accused of embezzling public funds, money laundering and abuse of office.
The court in Amman also fined him nearly $30m (£19m).
Jordan's leaders have come under pressure in recent months from street protesters demanding that corruption be tackled.Jordan teeters on edge of political instability
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Oct 28, 2012 10:10 AM PDTOn the cusp (bbc)
Election pushes Jordan towards political conflict and instability
Jordan 'uncovers al-Qaeda plot'
by Darius Kadivar on Sun Oct 21, 2012 11:39 AM PDTJordan 'uncovers al-Qaeda plot' (bbc)
The authorities in Jordan say they have arrested 11 militants alleged to have planned attacks on Western diplomats and shopping centres.
Jordan sets date for early parliamentary elections
by Darius Kadivar on Tue Oct 16, 2012 04:36 PM PDTJordan sets early election date (bbc)
Jordan's electoral commission announces that early parliamentary elections will be held on 23 January, amid calls by the opposition for a boycott.
New Jordanian government sworn in
by Darius Kadivar on Fri Oct 12, 2012 04:56 AM PDTNew Jordanian government sworn in (bbc)
Thousands of people begin gathering in Jordan's capital Amman amid a large police presence to call for faster political reforms.
The ministers of finance, foreign affairs and planning kept their posts.