02.02.2011, 13:18 3030

King Abdullah II of Jordan fires government after protests in Egypt

The king of Jordan dismissed his government and appointed a new prime minister to implement political reform, the agency reports.

Almaty. February 2. Kazakhstan Today - The king of Jordan dismissed his government and appointed a new prime minister to implement political reform, the agency reports.

King Abdullah II of Jordan sacked his government on Tuesday as he sought to appease street protests and avoid his country becoming the next Egypt or Tunisia, The Telegraph informed.

The king became the first Arab leader to announce political concessions from a position of relative security as he sought to pre-empt opposition-led demonstrations inspired by Egypt's attempted revolution against President Hosni Mubarak.

He followed up the dismissal of Samir Rifai, his popular prime minister, and the entire cabinet, with a pledge to embark on an immediate programme of democratic reform.

But the king's choice of Marouf Bakhit, widely seen as a conservative resistant to reform, as Mr Rifai's successor immediately drew more criticism than praise.

A former general, Mr Bakhit was accused of failing to deliver on a promised liberalisation agenda during his previous term as prime minister in 2005-2007.

Protests led by a coalition of Islamists, secular opposition groups and retired army generals have brought thousands onto the streets of Amman, the capital city, and other parts of the country.

Although far smaller than the demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia, they have caused considerable disquiet even though none of the protesters have demanded the abdication of Abdullah, who assumed the throne in 1999. Instead, they demanded the dismissal of Mr Rifai's government and a change in electoral law to allow the Jordanian people to vote for their prime minister, a position presently selected by royal appointment. They also called for the dissolution of parliament, elected in a general election last November that was widely seen as heavily flawed.

Royal aides said the king has instructed his new government to reform the unpopular electoral law and insisted that he had met most of the protesters' demands by paving the way for Jordan's transformation from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy.

King Abdullah II also called on the new government to strengthen the institutional infrastructure and combat corruption, and prosecute those found to be involved in corruption, CNN informed.

Despite recent government measures to pump around 500 million dollars into the economy in a bid to help improve living conditions, protests have been held in Amman and other cities over the past three weeks to demand political and economic reform, Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review informed.

Tunisia's popular revolt, which ousted veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, has inspired dissidents across the Arab world.

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