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AMMAN: Jordan’s King Abdallah reshuffled his Cabinet but retained Hani Mulki as prime minister on Sunday, granting him more scope to tackle the threat of militants and to press ahead with unpopular IMF-mandated reforms to cut spiraling public debt.
The reshuffle, the second since the business-friendly Mulki was appointed last May, comes at a time of sluggish economic growth, poor business sentiment and concerns over Jordan’s political stability following a series of security lapses.
Jordan has stepped up its role in the US-led military campaign against Daesh in the region and risks being drawn into a prolonged conflict with the militants.
The five new ministers entering the Cabinet include Ghaleb Zubi, a former police chief, as interior minister and Ayman Safadi, a long-time adviser to the royal family, as foreign minister, according to a palace statement. Safadi has strong ties to the Gulf states and has been critical of President Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria. Safadi, whose appointment was a surprise, replaces Nasser Joudeh, who has served as Jordan’s chief diplomat since 2009.
The outgoing interior minister lost his job after criticism following a deadly militant attack, in a government reshuffle that also saw long-serving Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh cast aside.
Ten people including a Canadian were shot dead at the popular Jordanian tourist destination of Karak on December 18, in an attack claimed by the Daesh group.
Following the attack, some 50 lawmakers called for a motion to censure Hammad.
In another major security lapse, a Jordanian guard shot dead three members of the US special forces at an airbase last November, an incident that tarnished the image of the country’s security forces and shook the confidence of its Western backers in its ability to handle security threats.
Diplomats say the security lapses raise concerns over the possible radicalization of some members of Jordan’s military and security apparatus. Jordan is among the closest allies of the US in the Middle East region.
In Sunday’s reshuffle, Finance Minister Omar Malhas kept his job, in which he is overseeing a tough three-year program agreed with the International Monetary Fund that aims to cut public debt to 77 percent of national output GDP by 2021 from 94 percent now.
Politicians and economists say the tough fiscal consolidation plan, which includes raising taxes on basic food and fuel items in the coming months and cutting subsidies, will worsen the plight of poorer Jordanians. Removing subsidies has triggered civil unrest in the past.
Jordan’s economy is expected to have grown by 2.4 percent last year, below an IMF target of 2.8 percent.
On Sunday Prime Minister Hani Mulqi said, in a statement from the royal palace, that Hammad was being replaced by Ghaleb Zohbi, a lawyer who had previously held the same post.
The same statement announced that Judeh, who had served as foreign minister since 2009, was making way for Ayman Safadi, formerly an adviser to the king and deputy prime minister.
It did not say why the ministers were being replaced. It is the second reshuffle since September 28.
Last month’s attack in Karak, home to one of the region’s biggest Crusader castles, killed seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians as well as a female Canadian tourist.
Four assailants were killed by the security forces after an hours-long siege of the castle, where the suspects had fled after opening fire on police.
IS claimed responsibility on December 20, saying four “soldiers of the caliphate” used machine guns and hand grenades in the attack.
Jordan is part of the US-led military coalition against IS and has carried out air strikes targeting the extremist group.
It also hosts coalition troops on its territory.
The kingdom was hit by four attacks last year, including a suicide attack in June that killed seven guards near the border with Syria that was also claimed by IS.