Jordan's King Abdullah on Sunday appointed his chief of staff as the new prime minister, according to a statement from the royal palace. The newly appointed prime minister has been charged with forming a government following recent parliamentary elections. The outgoing prime minister, Bisher Khasawneh, had earlier submitted his resignation to the king.
Under Jordan's constitution, the government typically resigns after legislative elections, and it is the king, not the parliament with its limited powers, who appoints the prime minister. The palace statement announced that King Abdullah had tasked Jaafar Hassan with forming a new government. Hassan, 56, holds the position of chief of staff and previously served as the planning minister.
In the recent election, Jordan's leading Islamist party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), emerged as the largest party in parliament, securing 31 out of 138 seats. The IAF is a political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, marking the Islamists' largest representation in parliament since 1989. Despite a low voter turnout of 32 percent, the IAF's success reflects voter frustration over economic issues and Israel's conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, has seen regular protests calling for the treaty's dissolution since the war began in October. Nearly half of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin. Khasawneh, 55, had been leading the government since October 2020. Jordan's parliament is bicameral, comprising an elected chamber and a senate with 69 members appointed by the monarch.
The conflict in Gaza has adversely affected Jordan's tourism sector, which contributes about 14 percent to the country's GDP. The kingdom is heavily reliant on foreign aid, particularly from the United States and the International Monetary Fund. The unemployment rate stood at 21 percent in the first quarter of 2024.
