Jordanian king sacks government

King Abdullah II of Jordan sacked the government after weeks of protests, but replacement fails to satisfy opposition.

AMMAN: King Abdullah II of Jordan sacked the government on Tuesday after weeks of protests, but his choice of replacement premier failed to satisfy the powerful opposition’s demands for reform.

The king named Maruf Bakhit to replace Samir Rifai with orders to carry out “true political reforms,” the palace said, but the Islamists criticised the choice, saying he is not a reformist.

“Bakhit’s mission is to take practical, quick and tangible steps to launch true political reforms, enhance Jordan’s democratic drive and ensure safe and decent living for all Jordanians,” a palace statement said.

Zaki Bani Rsheid, a leader of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), said Bakhit, who previously served as prime minister from 2005 to 2007, “is a not a man of reforms.”

The Islamists have long charged that the 2007 election was rigged after only six of the IAF’s 22 candidates were victorious that year, a tally sharply down on the 17 seats the group won in the previous polls in 2003.

Loyalists of the king again won a landslide in new elections last November after the IAF boycotted the poll in protest at constituency boundaries they said under-represented their urban strongholds.

“We need a man who is well respected by the people, a man who does not have a history of corruption and oppression. How can he (Bakhit) lead political reform?” Bani Rsheid asked.

“There is no reason to stop the protests now,” he added, referring to his party’s calls for a sit-in outside the prime minister’s office.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2011.