Jordan’s King accepts resignation of PM Omar al-Razzaz

Jordan’s King Abdullah on Saturday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz and asked him to stay on as a caretaker premier until he designates a successor, state media said.

The monarch dissolved parliament last Sunday at the end of its four-year term in a move that under constitutional rules meant the government must resign within a week.

Constitutionally, most powers rest with the king, who appoints governments and approves the legislation.

A new government will pave the way for the November vote, as the country grapples with the rapid spread of COVID-19 infections over the last month that the last government had been widely criticized for.

The monarch hopes a wider shake-up and a new assembly could ease popular disenchantment over economic hardships worsened by the blow of COVID-19 and limits on civil and political freedoms under emergency laws.

Jordan’s economy is expected to shrink by 6 percent this year as it tackles its worst economic crisis in many years, with unemployment and poverty aggravated by the pandemic.

(Reuters)