Omar Razzaz

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Omar Razzaz
عمر الرزاز
Bisher Al-Khasawneh
Minister of Education
In office
14 January 2017 – 14 June 2018
Prime MinisterHani Mulki
Preceded byMohammad Thneibat
Succeeded byAzmi Mahafzeh
Personal details
Born (1961-05-17) 17 May 1961 (age 62)
Al-Salt, Jordan
Political partyIndependent
RelativesMunif Razzaz (father), Mu'nis Razzaz (brother)
Alma materHarvard University

Omar Razzaz (

Arabic: عمر الرزاز; born 17 May 1961) is a Jordanian politician who served as the 42nd Prime Minister of Jordan from June 14, 2018 to October 12, 2020. He was designated to form a new government on 5 June 2018 after his predecessor resigned as a result of widespread protests against IMF-backed austerity measures in the country.[1]

Born in

Hani Al-Mulki
's government since 4 January 2017, before his designation as prime minister.

Early life

Razzaz was born in

Al-Salt, Jordan, in 1961 to Lam'a Bseiso (1923–2011) and Munif Razzaz (1919–1984).[2] He was the second of three siblings, with an older brother and a younger sister. His Syrian-born parents' families had moved to Jordan separately in 1925. His mother Lam'a was a political and social activist in Jordan and Palestine and his father Munif was a physician and politician who was elected Secretary General of the National Command of the Syrian Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in 1965.[3] Munif was imprisoned multiple times by the Jordanian government in the 1950s and 1960s. During Munif's one-year imprisonment in 1963, Lam'a recalls that Omar at the age of two in 1963 used to stare at pictures of his father saying "I want him to come to me". Munif relocated to Iraq in 1977 and became a leading member of the Iraqi Ba'ath, but was later arrested as part of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge. King Hussein had advocated for Munif's release so he can return safely to Jordan, but President Saddam Hussein adamantly refused. Munif died in 1984 during his house arrest in Baghdad, his wife Lam'a claims he was assassinated by the Iraqi Ba'ath after his hypertension medicine was replaced with poison.[4]

Education

Razzaz was enrolled at AUB’s faculty of engineering from 1979 to 1981,[5] a bachelor's degree from Louisiana Tech University,[6] and holds a master’s degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).[7][8] Razzaz holds a PhD from Harvard University in Planning,[9] with a minor in Economics. He completed his post-doctorate at Harvard Law School.

Career

Razzaz was director of the World Bank in Lebanon between 2002 and 2006. He was director of Jordan's Social Security Corporation between 2006 and 2010. He also served as director of the Jordan Strategy Forum and Jordan's Ahli Bank.[10]

Minister of Education

In 2017, he joined Hani Mulki's government as Minister of Education. His tenure saw overhauls to Jordan's education system.[11]

Prime Minister

Razzaz appointed a

majority vote (66 votes) in the lower house.[17]

On 3 October 2020, Razzaz tendered his resignation to King

Bisher Al-Khasawneh as the new prime minister to oversee the upcoming elections, thus ending Razzaz's term as prime minister.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Jordan PM Hani al-Mulki resigns amid mass protests over tax bill". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
  2. ^ "Jordan's new Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz". Reuters. June 4, 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
  3. ^ Moubayed 2006, p. 316.
  4. ^ "99 years since Munif Razzaz's birth: politician, intellectual, prisoner and father". 7iber (in Arabic). 19 December 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Another AUB figure wins the confidence to lead". American University of Beirut. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  6. ^ https://jmepp.hkspublications.org/2022/04/27/jordanian-economy-education-democratization-a-conversation-with-dr-omar-al-razzaz/
  7. ^ "DUSP alum appointed prime minister of Jordan | MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning". dusp.mit.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
  8. ^ "Omar Razzaz | MIT - Solve". SOLVE MIT. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  9. ^ "AKP newsletter" (PDF). The Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Winter 1992. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Prime Minister Omar Razzaz's CV". Ro'ya. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  11. ^ "Jordan's new Prime Minister Omar al-Razzaz". Reuters. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  12. ^ a b "New Jordanian cabinet has fresh faces but same old problems". The National. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  13. ^ a b c d "Jordan PM Omar Razzaz caught between angry public, international lenders". The Indian Express. Associated Press. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  14. ^ "Cabinet withdraws tax bill, says reforms vital". The Jordan Times. 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Jordan News Agency (Petra) |Razzaz presents government policy statement .... 5th LD". Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  16. ^ "Razzaz government wins vote of confidence after marathon debate". 20 July 2018.
  17. ^ a b B.O.C., Business Optimization Consultants. "Jordan - Government - The Executive Branch". www.kinghussein.gov.jo. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ "Jordan's King Abdullah accepts prime minister's resignation". Al Jazeera. 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020.
  19. ^ "Jordan's King Abdullah appoints palace aide Bisher al Khasawneh PM". Reuters. 7 October 2020.

Further reading

  • Moubayed, Sami M. (2006). Steel & Silk: Men and Women who shaped Syria 1900–2000. Cune Press. .

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Jordan
2018–2020
Succeeded by
Bisher Al-Khasawneh