AMMAN, 4 July 2005 — Jordan Prime Minister Adnan Badran named eight new ministers yesterday in a major Cabinet reshuffle aimed at winning a parliamentary vote of confidence to gain a mandate for imposing reform and slashing oil subsidies. In an unprecedented move, Adnan was forced to change his lineup only three months after he formed his government in April, as the Cabinet came under attack from a group of 53 MPs in the 110-member Parliament.
The deputies threatened a no-confidence vote unless the economic team was changed - in other words the deeply unpopular Finance Minister Bassem Awadallah. Awadallah, a controversial figure close to King Abdallah and the US administration, stepped down on June 15 paving the way for the government reshuffle. “Faced with unpopular decisions such as plans to raise oil products by five to 12 percent, the Badran government had to get rid of controversial ministers in order to win public sympathy,” an official told AFP.
“This was necessary in order to contain the public moaning expected when oil prices will rise,” the official said. Badran, a respected academic-turned-politician, coordinated the reshuffle with Parliament in a bid to win a vote of confidence as well as the support of MPs to forge ahead with economic reform, including plans to slash oil subsidies.
Abdallah has also met separately with the various political factions to underscore his determination to push for reform and eradicate corruption. The newcomers include veteran diplomat Marwan Moasher who was appointed deputy prime minister, Adel Qudaa who was named finance minister and Munzer Shareh who was handed the Water Ministry.
The lineup also includes Muzahem Muhayssen as agriculture minister, Amin Mahmud for culture, Abdel Karim Malahmeh as minister of state for parliamentary affairs and Minister of State Mohamed Al-Najadat. A woman, Ruwaida Maayteh, was appointed minister of government performance, joining three other women in the reshuffled Badran government.
But the most important measure taken by Badran was to bring back the veteran diplomat Moasher who was appointed deputy prime minister, a position he held in the former government of Faisal Al-Fayez. Moasher, who has been heading a national committee for reform for several months and served as royal court minister since April, will also act as government spokesman whose mission will be to explain reform to the nation.
The reshuffle, meanwhile, caused its first casualty when popular Amman MP Khalil Attiyeh, whose district includes a large Palestinian refugee camp, tendered his resignation charging that the lineup was not representative.
