Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday submitted his resignation to King Abdullah II following an election dominated by frustration with the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
On the back of the resignation petition by Khasawneh on Sunday, Jordan’s King Abdullah II appointed his chief of staff as prime minister, the royal palace said, tasking him with forming a government after parliamentary elections. The kingdom’s constitution requires the government to usually step down after legislative elections. The king appoints the prime minister, not parliament, which has limited powers.
King Abdullah on Sunday tasked Jaafar Hassan with forming a new government, a palace statement said.
The Islamic Action Front (IAF) won 31 of 138 seats in parliament in Tuesday’s poll. The IAF is the country’s leading islamist party and the political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Jordan.
The election drew a low turnout of just 32 per cent. However, the party’s success came at a time of general voter frustration with economic challenges and Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Mainly because Jordan has faced regular protests since last year demanding the cancellation of the 1994 treaty with Israel. Jordan is the second Arab state after Egypt to sign a peace treaty with Israel.
Economic difficulties also stem from the Israel-Hamas war, as tourism constitutes one of the country’s important financial sectors, accounting for 14 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. The kingdom depends heavily on foreign aid, especially from the United States and the International Monetary Fund. In the first quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate was 21 per cent.
