Jordan's king fires Cabinet amid protests

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Jordan's king fires Cabinet amid protests

By JAMAL HALABY, Associated Press Jamal Halaby, Associated Press – 7 mins ago

AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan's King Abdullah II, bowing to public pressure, fired his

government on Tuesday and tasked a new prime minister with quickly boosting

economic opportunities and giving Jordanians a greater say in politics.

The country's powerful Muslim opposition, which had demanded the dismissal of

Prime Minister Samir Rifai in several nationwide protests inspired by those in

Tunisia and Egypt, said the changes didn't go far enough.

Rifai, 45, who has been widely blamed for a rise in fuel and food prices and

slow-moving political reforms, tendered his resignation early Tuesday to the

king, who accepted it immediately, a Royal Palace statement said.

Abdullah named Marouf al-Bakhit, 63, as Rifai's replacement. Al-Bakhit, an

ex-general who supports strong ties with the U.S. and Jordan's peace treaty with

Israel, previously served as prime minister from 2005-2007.

Abdullah ordered al-Bakhit to " undertake quick and tangible steps for real

political reforms, which reflect our vision for comprehensive modernization and

development in Jordan. "

" Economic reform is a necessity to provide a better life for our people, " the

king said in the statement. " But we won't be able to attain that without real

political reforms, which must increase popular participation in the

decision-making. "

Abdullah also demanded an " immediate revision of laws governing politics and

public freedoms, " including legislation governing political parties, public

meetings and elections.

Jordan's most powerful opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, dismissed the

changes as cosmetic.

" We reject the new prime minister and we will continue our protests until our

demands are met, " said Hamza Mansour, leader of the Islamic Action Front, the

Brotherhood's political arm.

Mansour repeated his call for constitutional amendments to curb the king's power

in naming prime ministers, arguing that the post should go to the elected leader

of the parliamentary majority.

Jordan's constitution gives the king the exclusive powers to appoint prime

ministers, dismiss parliament and rule by decree.

" Unlike Egypt, we don't want a regime change in Jordan and we recognize the

Hashemites' rule in Jordan, " he said, referring to Jordan's ruling family. " But

we want to see real political reforms introduced. "

When he ascended to the throne in 1999, King Abdullah vowed to press ahead with

political reforms initiated by his late father, King Hussein. Those reforms

paved the way for the first parliamentary election in 1989 after a 22-year gap,

the revival of a multiparty system and the suspension of martial law, which had

been in effect since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

But little has been done since then. Although laws were enacted to ensure

greater press freedom, journalists are still routinely prosecuted for expressing

their opinion or for comments considered slanderous of the king and the royal

family.

Some gains been made in women's rights, but many say they have not gone far

enough. Abdullah has pressed for stiffer penalties for perpetrators of " honor

killings, " but courts often hand down lenient sentences.

Still, Jordan's human rights record is generally considered a notch above that

of Tunisia and Egypt. Although some critics of the king are prosecuted, they

frequently are pardoned and some are even rewarded with government posts.

It was not immediately clear when al-Bakhit will name his Cabinet.

A government official said al-Bakhit was consulting with lawmakers, opposition

groups, unionists and civil society institutions on the makeup of his Cabinet.

The official, who is involved in the consultations, said al-Bakhit may name some

opposition leaders in the new government. He declined to say whether al-Bakhit

may approach the Muslim Brotherhood and insisted on anonymity because he is not

allowed to brief the media.

Al-Bakhit is a moderate politician, who served as Jordan's ambassador to Israel

earlier this decade.

Like Abdullah, he supports close ties with Israel under a peace treaty signed in

1994 and strong relations with the United States, Jordan's largest aid donor and

longtime ally.

In 2005, Abdullah named al-Bakhit as his prime minister days after a triple

bombing on Amman hotels claimed by the al-Qaida in Iraq leader, Jordanian-born

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

During his 2005-2007 tenure, al-Bakhit — an ex-army major general and top

intelligence adviser — was credited with maintaining security and stability

following the attack, which killed 60 people and labeled as the worst in

Jordan's modern history.