Jordan Cabinet Shake up Leads to The Dismissal of Seven Ministers

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh carried out on Sunday his second cabinet shake-up since taking office in October last year.

In a royal decree, Jordanian King Abdullah II approved the cabinet reshuffle, which included “10 ministries.”

According to the decree, Khasawneh fired seven ministers and appointed five others.

This is the second shake-up Khasawneh has carried out since his cabinet formation on October 12, 2020.

Earlier this month, King Abdullah accepted the resignation of the interior and justice ministers for violating coronavirus measures.

This came after Khasawneh asked Interior Minister Samir al-Mobaideen and Justice Minister Bassam al-Talhouni to resign for violating preventive measures to combat the pandemic.

Local media said the two ministers had attended a ceremony where the number of attendees exceeded the maximum number allowed under the pandemic restrictions.

The new cabinet includes 28 ministers, after the number was 31. Brigadier General Mazen Abdullah Hilal al-Faraya, who was director of the coronavirus Crisis Cell, assumed the position of interior minister, in a change seen as giving Khasawneh more room to address social and economic problems.

Observers believe that the most prominent change was the departure of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Umayya Toukan. Khasawneh, however, retained Muhammad al-Issas, a Harvard University graduate, in his position as finance minister.

Issas won praise from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for his handling of the country’s economy during the pandemic and also negotiated an IMF four-year programme worth $1.3 billion, indicating confidence in the kingdom’s reform programme.

In the reshuffle, Education Minister Tayseer al-Nuaimi was removed after she faced widespread criticism over a confused approach to distance learning and vague decisions on closing and opening schools.

Observers said the removal of Mobaideen and Talhouni was an excuse for Khasawneh to conduct the reshuffle.

Jordanian politicians say that they hoped for the removal of the Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs Musa Maaytah, whose performance was weak in dealing with the country’s partisan forces.

The reshuffle included the separation of the labour portfolio from the Ministry of State for Investment Affairs and the cancellation of the latter. Minister Maan al-Qatameen accordingly kept the labour portfolio. The ministries of Education, Higher Education and Scientific Research were also merged, in a move that did not please many.

Informed sources told The Arab Weekly that Khasawneh was keen on reducing the number of ministries, especially after he was subjected to a wave of criticism due to the number of appointed ministers. However, the reduced number, the sources said, will not affect the government’s performance.

King Abdullah appointed Khasawneh, a veteran diplomat and former assistant to the palace, last October to restore the people’s confidence in the government’s dealing with the coronavirus crisis and to defuse popular anger over successive governments’ failure to fulfil their pledges to achieve greater prosperity and fight corruption.

For nearly two months, Jordan has witnessed a rise in infections due to a new strain of the virus that spreads faster, amid growing discontent over deteriorating economic conditions and restrictions on public freedoms under the emergency laws.

The recent reshuffle comes after parliament last week approved a budget of 9.9 billion dinars ($14 billion) that Issas said was aimed at preserving fiscal prudence to help ensure financial stability and curb a record $45 billion public debt.

The economy experienced its worst contraction, 3%, in decades last year, as it was hit by lockdowns, border closures and a sharp drop in tourism during the pandemic. But the government and the IMF expect a bounce of the same magnitude this year.

Officials say Jordan’s commitment to IMF reforms and investor confidence in the country’s economic outlook helped the country maintain stable sovereign ratings unlike other emerging markets.

The Khasawneh government will likely press ahead with reforms, as there is no alternative, although such reforms could trigger public anger, with many Jordanians being severely affected by the crisis.

It is believed that the government reshuffle will be accompanied by other structural adjustments that will include the royal court, with the appointment of new consultants to the body to pump new blood and help the country face its challenges.

In recent weeks, King Abdullah has hinted at his intention to enact changes. He also sent a letter to the intelligence agency demanding that it concentrate “all energies in its areas of specialty, which are vital to national security and professional intelligence operations.”

This article has been adapted from its original source.