Jordan’s New Government: Same Old Politics
While Jordan’s King Abdullah II wished for a parliamentary government, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour includes in his second-term Cabinet members who stand for more of the same, writes Osama Al Sharif.
After almost two months of deliberations that included consultations between the Royal Court and Lower House deputies, and later between Prime Minister-designate Abdullah Ensour and parliamentarians, a new Jordanian government was formed Saturday. But contrary to expectations the new Cabinet looked very much like previous governments, composed mostly of loyalists. This was supposed to be Jordan’s first parliamentary government, an obscure term that no one dared define. In the end, Ensour, who headed the previous government, excluded deputies from his Cabinet.
Critics reacted immediately by describing the new government as “tasteless” and “disappointing.” Hamzeh Mansour, secretary-general of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the biggest political party in the country which chose to boycott last January’s parliamentary elections, said that “the problem is not with names [of ministers] but with the way governments are formed and [government] programs.” He added that “the new Cabinet differs slightly from previous ones and did not bring any added value.” He reiterated his party’s position that for change to happen the election law must be reformed.
Marwan Faouri, head of the political committee of the Islamic Wasat (middle) Party, which is represented in the Lower House, said the new government is “disappointing” and that “there is no indication that political reforms are forthcoming.” He criticized the policy of marginalizing political parties and noted that King Abdullah II had called recently for a ruling coalition of parliamentary blocs.
The king had talked repeatedly about a new approach for government formation in Jordan, calling on parliamentary blocs to come together and form classical political platforms: left, right and center. Previously, the king used his constitutional prerogative to appoint a prime minister who would then choose members of his Cabinet. The king can still sack the prime minister at will, but he recently told deputies that the new government will complete the full four-year term of parliament. Between 2010 and 2013, Jordan had five prime ministers, a number of whom barely completed three months in office.
