AMMAN, 30 November 2004 — Apparently paving the way for shifting the succession of the Jordanian throne to his eight-year-old son, Prince Hussein, King Abdallah late Sunday stripped his half-brother of the title of crown prince.
The decision by the king was in line with the law, as it merely reversed a constitutional amendment made after the death of Abdallah’s father King Hussein, a leading lawmaker and a former information minister both said.
“The Jordanian constitution originally confined succession to the throne to the king’s eldest son, but was amended in 1965 by King Hussein to allow appointment of his brother, Prince Hassan, as heir apparent,” the lawyer said.
Mamduh Abbadi of the Democratic Alliance, an independent bloc, said the decision was in harmony with Article 28 of the constitution which states that the royal title “shall pass from the holder of the throne to his eldest son”, in this case Prince Hussein.
“The constitution gave the king exceptional powers to give one of his brothers the title of crown prince as well as the powers to scrap this decision,” said Abbadi. “From the moment the letter was signed, Prince Hussein becomes crown prince. There is no vacuum,” he said.
In a surprise move, Abdallah relieved the 24-year-old Prince Hamzah of his post as heir apparent, saying the title was “an honorary” one that prevented him from performing greater responsibilities.
“I have decided to free you from the constraints of the position of the crown prince in order to give you the freedom to work and undertake any mission or responsibility I entrust you with,” the monarch said in a letter to Hamzah. The letter did not name a new crown prince, but it left the impression that the post would be assigned to his only son, Prince Hussein albeit he is still a child.
Observers noticed that Abdallah himself carried this title before 1965, when he was under age of three. “As for the position of crown prince, I will continue, guided by the constitution and the good of our beloved Jordan and our noble Hashemite message, to give it my sincere attention,” the king said in his letter to Hamzah. However, the constitution also allows Abdallah to appoint his brother Prince Faisal as heir apparent. In a previous step that was full of political connotations, the Royal Court instructed government departments and ministries not to hang portraits of Prince Hamzah alongside with those of Abdallah.
According to sources, the decision to relieve Hamzah of the title came after the king met with his brothers, including Hamzah who was summoned from London.
Abdallah appointed Hamzah as crown prince upon his succession to the throne on Feb. 7, 1999 in response to the desire of his father King Hussein, who died of cancer.
In a dramatic development a few weeks earlier, the ailing monarch appointed his eldest son Abdallah, now king, as crown prince succeeding the late king’s brother Prince Hassan who spent 36 years in the position. Queen Noor, Hamzah’s mother, was then accused of concocting the change with US assistance to ensure that her son be a successor to the throne.
Since then, Prince Hamzah was kept away from the limelight, though he was occasionally appointed regent during Abdallah’s visit abroad. — Additional input from agencies.
