New PM for Jordan after king sacks the cabinet

Jordan’s King Abdullah has sacked his cabinet and asked Awn Khasawneh, an international jurist, to head a new administration, in a move to placate protesters calling for faster reforms.

The Western-backed king, facing pressure from activists inspired by uprisings across the Arab world, yesterday dismissed prime minister Marouf al-Bakhit, a conservative former army general, palace sources said.

The king told Mr Khasawneh, a member of the International Court of Justice, to become prime minister, push through a more representative electoral law and stamp out official corruption, the sources said.

“There is a sense that Jordan could slide into chaos and Khasawneh was brought in to try and solve that,” a Western diplomat in Amman said.

Mr Khasawneh, 61, who is a former chief of the royal court, is seen as a respected figure above domestic rivalries.

His predecessor, Mr Bakhit, came to power when pro-reform protesters first took to the streets in February.

Officials say the monarch was disappointed by the slow pace of reforms under Mr Bakhit and was responding to growing public criticism that the prime minister was dragging his feet.

Mr Bakhit grew increasingly unpopular with mainstream politicians and a coalition of opposition groups drawn from tribal and Islamist backgrounds. They accused him of mishandling domestic problems, including preparations for municipal elections that were to due to be held this year.

Politicians say the monarch, who has ruled since 1999, has taken only cautious steps towards democracy as he is constrained by a tribal power base which sees reforms as a threat to political and economic benefits.