GOVERNMENT
Jordan is a constitutional monarchy based on the constitution promulgated on January 8, 1952. Executive authority is vested in the King and his Council of Ministers. The King signs and executes all laws. His veto power may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses of the National Assembly. He appoints and may dismiss all judges by decree, approves amendments to the constitution, declares war, and commands the armed forces. Cabinet decisions, court judgments, and the national currency are issued in his name. The King, who may dismiss other cabinet members at the prime minister's request, appoints the council of ministers, led by a prime minister. The cabinet is responsible to the Chamber of Deputies on matters of general policy and can be forced to resign by a two-thirds vote of "no confidence" by that body.
Legislative power rests in the bicameral National Assembly. The number of deputies in the current Chamber of Deputies is 110, with a number of seats reserved for various religions, ethnicities, and women. The Chamber, elected by universal suffrage to a 4-year term, is subject to dissolution by the King. The King appoints the 55-member Senate for a 4-year term. Elections for municipal councils and mayors were held in July 2007; 20% of the council seats were reserved by quota for women. Parliamentary elections were held in November 2007, with the majority of seats going to independent, pro-government candidates. Eight seats in the parliament are reserved by quota for women, and a ninth woman won a seat outside the quota.
The constitution provides for three categories of courts--civil, religious, and special. Administratively, Jordan is divided into 12 governorates, 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.
POLITICAL CONDITIONS
King Hussein ruled Jordan from 1953 to 1999, surviving a number of challenges to
his rule, drawing on the loyalty of his military, and serving as a symbol of
unity and stability for both the East Bank and Palestinian communities in
Jordan. In 1989 and 1993, Jordan held free and fair parliamentary elections.
Controversial changes in the election law led Islamist parties to boycott the
1997 elections. King Hussein ended martial law in 1991 and legalized political
parties in 1992.
King Abdullah II succeeded his father Hussein following the latter's death in February 1999. Abdullah moved quickly to reaffirm Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the U.S., and has since focused the government's agenda on economic reform, political development, and poverty alleviation.
Jordan's continuing structural economic difficulties, burgeoning population, and more open political environment have led to the emergence of a variety of small 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. Parliamentary elections were most recently held in November 2007. The Islamist opposition lost many of the seats it had gained in 2003, with the vast majority of seats being won by independent, pro-government candidates. Following the elections, in December 2007, the King appointed the current cabinet with a clear mandate to push forward economic reform and job creation.
Principal
Government Officials
Chief of State--King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein
Prime Minister--Nader Dahabi
Minister of Defense--Nader Dahabi
Foreign Minister--Salah Bashir
Ambassador to the U.S.--Prince Zeid bin Ra'ad
Ambassador to the UN--Mohammed Allaf
Jordan
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 3504 International Drive NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (tel. 202-966-2664).
Government Type:
Constitutional monarchy.
Independence: May 25, 1946.
Constitution: January 8, 1952.
Branches: Executive--king (chief of state), prime minister
(head of government), council of ministers (cabinet). Legislative--bicameral
National Assembly (appointed Senate, elected Chamber of Deputies).
Judicial--civil, religious, special courts.
Political parties: Wide spectrum of parties legalized in
1992.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Administrative subdivisions: Twelve governorates--Irbid,
Jarash, Ajloun, al-'Aqaba, Madaba, al-Mafraq, al-Zarqa, Amman,
al-Balqa, al-Karak, al-Tafilah, and Ma'an.
