Jordan’s Prime Minister Resigns Amid Protests

In Jordan, Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki resigned after protests from the country’s citizens for the King to create a new government. After King Abdullah II summoned the politician, al-Mulki expressed his official resignation. The protests have been the country’s biggest in decades.

The country’s former education minister Omar Razzaz will take the Prime Minister position and create a new cabinet. Razzaz will face the challenge of having to stabilize the economy and lead it towards a better future.

Throughout this past Sunday and Monday, thousands of Jordan citizens took to the streets and protested to pressure the King and the administration. Some protesters have stated that they are not against the King, but they do not approve of his government’s actions.

The protest mainly took place in the city of Amman, though protests did spread throughout the country. Citizens blocked roads and burned tires in order to express their discomfort with the government’s administration. In the district of Shmeisani, located in upstate Amman, over 2000 protesters gathered from different parts of the city and took to the minister’s office, while the country’s police forces tried to block their way.

Most of their complaints were related to the country’s economy, which has been going through difficult times in recent years due to the Syrian crisis. Export routes between Jordan, Syria, and Iraq have been closed, and there has been a  decrease in tourism due to security threats. Unemployment reached an all-time high in 2016, standing at 15.3% of the population.

Protesters blame the introduction of laws that levy income taxes for the country’s majority as the reason for their current situation, along with rising prices in everyday expenses.

One of the protesters was children’s tutor Hanadi Dweik, who stated that the country’s situation had reached a point where its citizens could not conform with its administration. She said: “This government is leading the country to total chaos. They keep adding more taxes while we have no services. We don’t even have a decent transportation system… It’s enough. Enough is enough.” Dweik also confronted the police officers who were blocking the protesters’ path, saying that they were also taking them into consideration, as citizens of Jordan. The accumulation of people on an overpass caused for the structure to almost collapse, which alarmed the police officers.

At least forty people have reportedly been arrested in the protest overall, and officials encouraged the citizens to protest peacefully. Some police officers showed empathy with the protesters: one of them gave out water and another helped an elderly protester cross the street.

Head of Jordan’s economic and social policy council Mustafa Hamarneh stated that the new government should make it clear that they are sharing the population’s struggle and that corruption is not keeping them in a comfortable position. He addressed these expenses and displays of wealth from government officials in a statement. He said:

“I think they need to cut waste in government. There is tremendous waste. I mean, our public officials drive Mercedes around. You need to cut that. You need to tighten the belt. There needs to be a general sense that it’s equitable and it’s fair and that everyone must pay a price to get out of our crisis. I think a progressive, proactive government can do that.”

Featured Image via: Flickr/Royal Hashemite Court RHC