Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday appointed veteran diplomat and palace aide Bisher al Khasawneh as the country’s new prime minister, days after accepting the resignation of Omar al-Razzaz, the royal palace said.
Khasawneh was a former ambassador to Egypt and France and has been a palace advisor since 2019 after a career mostly spent as a diplomat. He was a Minister for Legal Affairs between 2017 and 2018 and a Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2016 and 2017.
“The formation of this government comes at an exceptional time,” the monarch said, referring to the fast spread of the coronavirus pandemic. He said the new government should continue to handle the pandemic in a way that balances between health considerations and the economic sectors.
Appointing Khasawneh ends the caretaker period of the government, which was formed in June 2018. However, Razzaz’s popularity waned due to the confusion ensuing from decisions taken during the pandemic.
The King had dissolved the parliament a week earlier at the end of its four-year term, in preparation for the upcoming elections in November.
There are 35 days ahead of the new government before the parliament votes on confidence, in case the elections took place at the scheduled time.
However, some local observers fear a possible postponing of the polls due to the spike in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Kingdom.
The Independent Election Commission of Jordan may delay elections to January 25, the latest.
