AMMAN, 17 June — Jordan’s King Abdallah yesterday dissolved the country’s parliament in a move that could pave the way for legislative elections before the end of the year, the official Petra news agency said.
The king issued a decree, announcing the dissolution of the lower house of 80-elected legislators as well as the 40-seat Senate, which is appointed by the monarch. Press reports in recent days had been rife with speculation that legislative elections expected to take place by the year-end would be postponed and that the current parliament’s term would be extended by one more year.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ali Abu Al-Ragheb reshuffled his government but kept the key foreign, finance and interior portfolios unchanged in a move giving him more scope to advance market reform.
Officials said the reshuffle was aimed at ensuring greater cohesion among Abu Al-Ragheb’s 29-member Cabinet, appointed last year with a mandate to accelerate IMF-backed reforms seen as crucial to jump-start an ailing economy.
Officials said the king had issued a decree that effectively brought in 11 new ministers but kept unchanged the three central portfolios.
Foreign Minister Abdulilah Al-Khatib has been handling a delicate balancing act with regional neighbors over relations with Israel while veteran Finance Minister Michel Marto has been credited with keeping structural reforms required by the International Monetary Fund on track.
Information Minister Taleb Rifai was shifted to the Tourism Ministry replacing Akil Biltaji. The new line-up sees Saleh Kallab, a veteran journalist, return to the Information Ministry which he headed under the former government of Abdel Rauf Rawabdeh.
Newcomers also include Nader Al-Dahabi, formerly chief executive officer of the national carrier Royal Jordanian, who has been appointed minister of transport. The US-educated Abu Al-Ragheb faces a daunting task in ending three years of economic slowdown.
