Jordan’s King Abdullah II has appointed his chief of staff, Jaafar Hassan, to be the new prime minister and form a government following parliamentary elections. The outgoing premier, Bisher Khasawneh, resigned, adhering to the country’s constitutional requirement for the government to step down after legislative elections. The nomination of the prime minister is the king’s prerogative, not the parliament’s, as per the constitution. The Islamic Action Front, an Islamist party and the political offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, emerged as the largest party in parliament, winning 31 out of 138 seats, marking their most significant representation since 1989. Amid economic challenges and the Israel-Hamas conflict, frustration among voters was evident, reflected in the low voter turnout of 32 percent. Jordan, which signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, has faced public demands for the treaty’s dissolution in light of recent conflicts. With nearly half of its population being of Palestinian origin, the country has been significantly impacted by the Gaza war.
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Khasawneh, who headed the government since October 2020, has been succeeded by Hassan. Jordan’s bicameral parliament includes an elected house and a senate with members appointed by the king. The ongoing Gaza conflict has adversely affected Jordan’s tourism, a sector which contributes around 14 percent to its GDP. The country heavily relies on foreign aid, particularly from the United States and the International Monetary Fund. As of the first quarter of 2024, the unemployment rate stands at 21 percent.
