Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh on Sunday submitted his government’s resignation to King Abdullah II following the September 10 parliamentary elections, state television reported.
Under the constitution, the government usually resigns after legislative elections, but it is the king who appoints the prime minister, not parliament, which has limited powers.
The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and the main opposition party in Jordan, came out on top on Wednesday in a poll marked by low turnout, against a backdrop of a sluggish economy and war in the Gaza Strip.
Out of a total of 138 seats, the Islamists won 31, with 17 (out of 41) reserved for political parties and the rest allocated to the regions. Khasawneh, 55, has led the Jordanian government since October 2020.
Also readJordanian legislative elections: Islamists come out on top among parties
The Jordanian Parliament is bicameral. In addition to the 138 elected deputies, it has 69 senators appointed by the monarch. The assembly can withdraw its confidence in the government, approve and promulgate laws.
The war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas influenced, according to analysts, the outcome of the legislative elections in the kingdom, which has been linked to Israel by a peace treaty since 1994, but where nearly half of the Jordanian population is of Palestinian origin.
Demonstrations regularly call for the treaty to be annulled.
The war in Gaza has dealt a severe blow to the economy in Jordan, which neighbours Israel and the occupied West Bank, particularly to the tourism sector (14% of GDP).
The kingdom relies heavily on foreign aid, particularly from the United States and the International Monetary Fund, and unemployment reached 21% in the first quarter of 2024.
