Dubai: In late January, Jordan saw some waves of protest calling for reform in the kingdom. On February 1, King Abdullah dismissed his cabinet and prime minister to calm street protests that were exacerbated by economic concerns over high cost of living.
Prime Minister Samir Rifai was replaced by Marouf Al Bakhit. This move however, failed to calm the protesters.
In June 2011, King Abdullah announced that the government would in the future be elected, not appointed, responding to a demand of protesters calling for democratic change but did not set a specific date. Under growing pressure to accelerate political reform and genuine anti-corruption measures, on October 17, King Abdullah sacked his prime minister again after mounting criticism by parliamentarians and senior officials of his performance. Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh, a former international jurist at the Hague-based International Court of Justice, was appointed to replace him.
On October 24, the King swore in a reform-minded government charged with speeding up political liberalisation.
Abdullah told Khasawneh that his cabinet's mission was to accelerate reforms.
The powerful Islamist opposition declined Khasawneh's invitation to join the cabinet, although they gave his administration a cautious welcome and said they would back a reformist agenda.
