Jordan and Jordanian News

Country Profile
Jordan,officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan  is a Kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan in the Middle East.
Jordan is divided into 12 Provinces named Governorates which are sub-divided into 54 departments or districts named Nahias.
Islam is the official religion and approximately 92% of the population is Muslim, primarily of the Sunni branch of Islam.
Jordan has the second highest life expectancy in the Middle East, after Israel.
Jordan was the first Arab and Middle Eastern state to join the ICC.
The Jordanian Government is one of three members of the 22 Arab League states to maintain Diplomatic relations with Israel - the others being the Egyptian and Palestinian governments.
Capital                                       Amman
Currency                                    Jordanian Dinar
Official Language                        Arabic
Population                                  6.5 Million(2011 Estimate)
Flag of Jordan

History
In 1946 UN recognizes Jordan as an Independent Sovereign Kingdom and King Abdullah was proclaimed as the first King of Jordan.
On April 24, 1950, Jordan formally annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem, an act that was regarded as illegal and void by the Arab League.
In 1951 King Abdullah was assassinated by a Palestinian militant - Mustafa Ashu.
In August 1952 King Hussein was proclaimed as King of Jordan after King Abdullah.
On July 27, 1953, King Hussein announced that East Jersalem  was "the alternative capital of the Hashemite Kingdom" and would form an "integral and inseparable part" of Jordan.
Six-Day War - June 5-10,1967
Jordan  joined Egypt, Syria and Iraq in the Six Day War  against Israel, which however ended in an Israeli victory and the capture of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The period following the war saw an upsurge in the activity and numbers of Arab Palestinian paramilitary elements ''Fedayeen'' within the state of Jordan. These distinct, armed militias were becoming a "state within a state", threatening Jordan's rule of law. King Hussein's armed forces targeted the fedayeen, and open fighting erupted in June 1970. The battle in which Palestinian fighters from various PLO groups were expelled from Jordan is commonly known as Black September.




Politics and Government
Jordan is a Parliamentary Monarchy where the Prime Minister of Jordan is the Head of Govt and of a Multi-Party System.
 Executive Authority is vested in the King and his Cabinet.The king signs, executes, and Vetoes all laws. The king may also suspend or dissolve parliament, and shorten or lengthen the term of session. A veto by the king may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses of parliament at his discretion, most recently in November 2009.

King of Jordan

Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein (DOBJan 30, 1962) is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan who ascended the throne on Feb 07, 1999 upon the death of his father King Hussein who ruled for 46 years between 1953-99.

Prime Minister of Jordan

Fayez al-Tarawneh(was the PM during Aug 20,1998 toMarch 04,1999) is the current PM of Jordan in office from May 02,2012 who was appointed to serve as PM a second time following the resignation of his predecessor, Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh.

 Parliament or National Assembly of Jordan

 

Legislative power rests in the Bicameral National Assembly .
The Chamber of Deputies  has 120 members, elected for a four year terms in single-seat constituencies.
The Assembly of Senators has 60 members appointed by the King for a 4-year term.

Jordan's King Abdullah calls early elections

 

Jordan's king has dissolved parliament on Oct 4,2012, paving the way for early polls ahead of protests seen as his biggest challenge since the start of the Arab Spring.

The decree follows Abdullah II's pledge to bring in political reforms aimed at avoiding anti-government unrest.
Jordanians have been pressing for a greater say in how their country is run and demanding corruption be tackled.
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood said in July its political party, the Islamic Action Front, would boycott the polls.

 

Jordan's King Abdullah swears in caretaker government

 

Jordan's King Abdullah has sworn in a caretaker government headed by independent politician Abdullah Ensour as the new PM ahead of  Parliamentary Polls on Thursday Oct 11,2012, a week after the House of Representatives was dissolved.

Last week's protest in Amman and the dissolution of parliament come amid opposition anger at an electoral law amendment passed in July 2012.
he electoral law increased the number of seats in the House of Representatives from 120 to 140, and gave the electorate two votes - one for a district representative and one for national level lists that include political parties - replacing the single non-transferable vote.
Opposition parties demanded that 50% of seats be allocated to party lists, but the new electoral law gave them just 17 seats, or 12%.
They also complained that the new law would strengthen supporters of the king by allowing members of the security forces to vote for the first time, and allocating three more seats for women from Bedouin districts.