They said the monarch accepted Rifai’s resignation in a procedural move before asking the business-friendly former palace aide to name a revamped Cabinet. The tribal pro-monarchist composition of the 120-seat assembly means the chamber is unlikely to challenge  Abdallah’s commitment to Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel.

The reshuffle will be the second since Rifai took power in December last year after the king dissolved parliament mid-way through its four-year term and charged him with speeding up electoral reforms to bring political reforms and broader representation.