Politics of Jordan

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Politics of Jordan

Arab League Member State of the Arab League

Constitution
Monarchy
Executive
Government
Legislature
Parliament
(18th Parliament)
Senate
House of Representatives
Judiciary
Administrative divisions
Local government
Elections
Foreign relations
Related topics
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The politics of Jordan takes place in a framework of a parliamentary monarchy, whereby the Prime Minister of Jordan is head of government, and of a multi-party system. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution promulgated on January 8, 1952. The king exercises his power through the government he appoints which is responsible before the Parliament. In contrast to most parliamentary monarchies, the monarchy of Jordan is not ceremonial, with the King having significant influence over the affairs of the country.

King

Bisher Al-Khasawneh
has been Prime Minister since 7 October 2020.

Executive branch

Main office-holders
Office Name Party Since
King
 Abdullah II 7 February 1999
Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh Independent 7 October 2020

The

Chamber of Deputies on matters of general policy, including the composition of cabinet. A two-thirds vote of "no confidence
" by the Chamber can force the cabinet to resign.

Legislative branch

Assembly of Senators (Majlis al-Aayan) has 65 members appointed by the King for a four-year term. The Assembly of Senators is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies and can be removed by a "vote of no confidence
".

Political factions or blocs in the Jordanian parliament change with each parliamentary election and typically involve one of the following affiliations; a democratic Marxist/Socialist faction, a mainstream liberal faction, a moderate-pragmatic faction, a mainstream conservative faction, and an extreme conservative faction (such as the Islamic Action Front).

The Jordanian Chamber of Deputies is known for brawls between its members, including acts of violence and the use of weapons. In September 2013 Representative Talal al-Sharif tried to shoot one of his colleagues with an assault rifle while at the parliamentary premises.[2]

Judicial branch

The judiciary is completely independent from the other two branches of the government. The constitution provides for three categories of courts—civil (in this case meaning "regular"), religious, and special. Regular courts consist of both civil and criminal varieties at the first level—First Instance or Conciliation Courts, second level—Appelette or Appeals Courts, and the Cassation Court which is the highest judicial authority in the kingdom. There are two types of religious courts: Sharia courts which enforce the provisions of Islamic law and civil status, and tribunals of other religious communities officially recognized in Jordan.[3]

Political conditions

Islamist
parties to boycott the 1997, 2011 and 2013 elections.

King Abdullah II succeeded his father Hussein following the latter's death in February 1999.[6] Abdullah moved quickly to reaffirm Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the United States. Abdullah, during the first year in power, refocused the government's agenda on economic reform.

Jordan's continuing structural economic difficulties, burgeoning population, and more open political environment led to the emergence of a variety of political parties. Moving toward greater independence, Jordan's parliament has investigated corruption charges against several regime figures and has become the major forum in which differing political views, including those of political Islamists, are expressed.

On February 1, 2011, it was announced that King Abdullah had dismissed his government. This has been interpreted as a pre-emptive move in the context of the Tunisian Jasmine Revolution and unfolding events in nearby Egypt.[7][8]

Decentralization

Greater Amman Municipality
will be excluded from the plan but it will set up a similar decentralization process. Each region will have an elected council that will handle the political, social, legal, and economic affairs of its area. This decentralization process is part of Jordan's Democratization Program.

Corruption

Further information: Corruption in Jordan and International rankings of Jordan

Jordan ranked 47th out of 180 nations in the Corruption Perceptions Index. The Constitution of Jordan states that no member of Parliament can have any financial or business dealings with the government and no member of the royal family can be in the government. However, corruption remains a problem in Jordan despite progress. Corruption cases are examined by the Anti-Corruption Commission and then referred to the judiciary for legal action. Corruption in Jordan takes the form of nepotism, favouritism, and bribery.

2018 Protests

The 2018 Jordanian protests started as a general strike organized by more than 30 trade unions on 30 May 2018 after the government of Hani Mulki submitted a new tax law to Parliament.[9] The bill followed IMF-backed measures to tackle Jordan's growing public debt.[10]

The day following the strike on 31 May, the government raised fuel and electricity prices responding to an increase in international oil prices, which led to more public discontent.[11] On 1 June King Abdullah intervened and ordered the freeze of the price hikes.[12]

The protests continued for four days until Mulki submitted his resignation to the King on 4 June, and Omar Razzaz, his education minister, became Prime Minister.[13][14] Protests only ceased after Razzaz announced his intention of withdrawing the new tax bill.[15][16]

Administrative divisions

Administratively, Jordan is divided into twelve governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah), each headed by a governor appointed by the king. They are the sole authorities for all government departments and development projects in their respective areas:

  1. Ajlun
  2. Aqaba
  3. Balqa
  4. Karak
  5. Mafraq
  6. Amman
  7. Tafilah
  8. Zarqa
  9. Irbid
  10. Jerash
  11. Ma'an
  12. Madaba

International organization participation

UNWTO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
, WTrO

References

  1. ^ a b Freedomhouse.org http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=22&year=2010&country=7849 [permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Tamer al-Samadi (25 September 2013). "Jordan MP Fires Kalashnikov In Parliament". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  3. ^ The Constitution of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/3ae6b53310.pdf
  4. ^ "King Hussein bin Talal". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  5. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  6. ^ "Hussein | Biography, History, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  7. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  8. ^ the CNN Wire Staff (4 October 2012). "On eve of protest, King Abdullah dissolves parliament". CNN. Retrieved 2021-02-09. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  9. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  10. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Jordan: Hundreds protest revised IMF-backed tax law | DW | 14.12.2018". DW.COM. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  11. ^ "Sharp rises in fuel prices come amid public anger over tax bill". Jordan Times. 2018-05-31. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  12. ^ "King freezes price hikes on fuel and electricity". Jordan Times. 2018-06-01. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  13. ^ "Jordan king asks Omar al-Razzaz to form new government: ministerial source". Reuters. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  14. ^ "Jordan PM Hani Mulki resigns amid mass protests over tax bill". Aljazeera. June 4, 2018.
  15. ^ Akour, Omar (June 7, 2018). "New Jordan PM Says He Will Cancel Tax Bill". U.S News.
  16. ^ Francis, Ellen (2018-06-07). "Jordan protesters press on, some unions strike after new PM appointed". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-07-08.

External links

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