Jordan’s King Abdullah appointed Jafar Hassan as the new prime minister after the resignation of the government on Sunday, following a parliamentary election where the Islamist opposition gained ground. Hassan, currently the chief of staff to the king and a former planning minister, replaces Bisher Khasawneh, who has served as prime minister for nearly four years. Khasawneh will continue in a caretaker role until a new cabinet is formed, according to a statement from the royal court.
Harvard-educated Hassan, a respected technocrat, faces the immediate challenge of mitigating the economic impact of the Gaza war on Jordan, which has suffered from reduced investment and a sharp decline in tourism. In his appointment letter, King Abdullah emphasized the need to strengthen democracy and drive forward donor-backed infrastructure projects in energy and water to secure the country’s economic future.
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Khasawneh’s government had aimed to implement reforms to combat a decade of sluggish growth, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflicts in Iraq and Syria. However, traditional conservatives have resisted such modernization efforts, fearing they could undermine their power. The new government will need to accelerate IMF-led reforms and manage over $50 billion in public debt, with high unemployment and reliance on foreign aid from Western donors.
The recent election saw the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies, who are ideologically aligned with Hamas, make significant gains, winning 31 seats in parliament. This development has raised concerns among diplomats and officials that a more vocal opposition could challenge Jordan’s free-market reforms and foreign policy. Despite this, the 138-member parliament retains a pro-government majority, with ultimate authority remaining with the king, who can appoint governments and dissolve parliament.