Jordan’s reforms continue despite regional challenges

Sunday’s Royal Decree dissolving the Lower House of Parliament, coupled with the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, who will be succeeded by a seasoned politician and diplomat Hani Mulki, were steps anticipated on the country’s path to reform.

The Lower House was dissolved after completing three ordinary sessions, one non-ordinary as well as six extraordinary, during its full four-year term, since being elected in January 2013.

Ensour’s government quit in implementation of a constitutional stipulation requiring any Cabinet during whose tenure the Lower House is dissolved to submit its resignation, to ensure the balance between the legislative and executive branches of government.

Mulki’s government, that is still to be formed and sworn in before His Majesty, was entrusted to convene general elections within four months, also in implementation of the provisions of the Constitution. This means that the polls will be held in Jordan before September 29 this year.

In the letter of designation, the King called on the new premier to offer all possible support to the Independent Elections Commission, to enable it to conduct free and fair elections on the basis of the new Elections Law, a landmark in the Kingdom’s political reform process by virtue of having adopted the list-based system, ending the controversial one-person, one-vote formula.

The adoption of the new Elections Law followed the adoption of the Decentralisation Law, another milestone in the reform process, which was enacted last year to enhance public participation in the decision making process, thus contributing to the development of the governorates and ensuring to a fairer distribution of revenues.

Sunday’s change of government shows that the Jordanian reform process continues to be on track, unaffected by regional crises and the unstoppable flow of refugees into the Kingdom.

It was the King’s vision to have elected parliaments that serve four-year terms and oversee the performance of governments that serve for the same period of time, as a precursor to parliamentary governments and to invigorate democratic life in the country.

This vision was not hampered by the numerous challenges facing the country locally or regionally.

As the King has often said before, Jordan will not allow the regional situation to hold hostage its comprehensive reform process.

As such, the new government was tasked with ensuring new free and fair elections while, at the same time, working to tackle challenges to the best of its ability.

In the King’s Letter of Designation, the new prime minister was asked to tackle the economic difficulties, ensure transparent government performance, support the role of the judiciary and to boost the public-private sectors’ partnership as well as civil society organisations.

His Majesty asked the government to come up with a package of procedures to improve the country’s economy and create job opportunities, underlining the need to enable Jordanian women, who proved successful in all spheres, to take their deserved place in society as well as in the labour market.

The challenges facing the government are numerous; the fact that it was tasked with overseeing the coming general elections does not minimise its role and work in other fields.

It is a government that will be led by a capable prime minister and that will, hopefully, be composed of capable ministers whose top priority will be to improve the level of services offered to citizens through continuous field work and direct contact with the public, as His Majesty stressed.