Jordan’s King Abdullah has appointed his Chief of Staff, Jafar Hassan as prime minister after the government led by Bisher Khasawneh resigned earlier on Sunday.
Khasawneh, a veteran diplomat and former palace adviser who was appointed nearly four years ago will stay on in a caretaker capacity until the formation of a new cabinet.
Hassan would have the key task ahead of accelerating IMF-guided reforms and managing more than $50 billion in public debt in a country with high unemployment and whose stability is supported by billions of dollars of foreign aid from Western donors.
The Muslim Brotherhood opposition and ideological allies of Palestinian militant group Hamas made significant gains in Tuesday’s election, boosted by anger over Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Islamists won 31 seats, the most since parliamentary life was revived in 1989 after decades of martial law, leaving them the largest political grouping in parliament.
