AMMAN, Sept 15 (Askume) – Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh submitted his resignation on Sunday, according to officials familiar with the matter, less than a week after parliamentary elections in which the Islamist opposition in the U.S.-allied country made slight gains.
The current head of King Abdullah’s office and a former planning minister, US-educated Jaafar Hassan, will replace Khasawneh, the officials told Askume on condition of anonymity.
Hassan will face the challenge of minimising the impact of the Gaza war on Saudi Arabia’s economy, which has been badly hit by investment restrictions and a sharp drop in tourism.
The outgoing prime minister wants to push forward reforms proposed by King Abdullah to reverse a decade of sluggish growth that has hovered around 2% and address the pandemic and conflict in neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and ideological allies of the Palestinian militant group Hamas made significant gains in Tuesday’s election amid anger over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The new 138-member parliament retains a pro-government majority, but a more vocal opposition led by Islamists could challenge IMF-led free market reforms and foreign policy.
