Amid Mass Protests, Jordanian Prime Minister Resigns

Jordanian Prime Minister Hani Mulki resigned from his post Monday, apparently at the behest of King Abdullah II who moved to quell the largest wave of protests to hit the kingdom in years. Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Amman and its surroundings in the past week to vent anger over International Monetary Fund-driven government austerity measures including a general sales tax hike earlier this year and the removal of bread subsidies that many impoverished families previously depended on. The demonstrations intensified on the weekend after Mulki refused to scrap a bill to increase personal and corporate taxes. However, in a sign that the proposed legislation may be shelved, local media reported that the Jordanian parliament was set to convene a special session during which lawmakers would vote down the initiative. Among other IMF-imposed conditions meant to decrease Jordan’s national debt of $37 billion—equivalent to 95 percent of gross domestic product—was a demand for the introduction of price hikes on basic commodities. For example, the cost of fuel in Jordan already has been raised five times in 2018, whereas the price of electricity has shot up more than 50 percent. Jordan, which has long suffered from an ailing economy, is largely dependent on foreign aid, a situation that has become even more pressing due to the massive influx of Syrian refugees into the country. Unions representing tens of thousands of Jordanian employees in both the public and private sectors have tentatively called for a general strike across the nation on Wednesday.