⁍ Jordan’s King Abdullah appointed veteran diplomat and palace aide Bisher al Khasawneh as the country’s new prime minister.

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⁍ The monarch dissolved parliament on Sept. 27 at the end of its four-year term, a move that under constitutional rules meant the government had to resign within a week.

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⁍ Khasawneh will oversee parliamentary elections due on Nov. 10 whose outcome is expected under an electoral law that marginalises the Islamist opposition to maintain a majority of deputies.

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– Jordan has a new prime minister for the first time in more than a decade. King Abdullah II appointed palace aide Bisher al Khasawneh to replace Omar al-Razzaz, who stepped down after the king dissolved parliament last month, Reuters reports. Khasawneh, a British-educated diplomat, has been a palace adviser since last year. He replaces Razzaz, who faced widespread criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his failure to combat corruption. Jordan’s economy is expected to shrink by 6% this year as the country of 10 million grapples with its worst economic crisis in years. Unemployment hit a record 23% in the second quarter, while poverty has deepened in a country whose aid-dependent economy was struggling before the crisis. Outgoing Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz, who was appointed in 2018 to defuse the biggest protests in years over IMF austerity moves, has faced growing criticism of his handling of the pandemic and his failure to combat corruption. International rights groups lambasted the authorities for arresting hundreds of teacher activists after dissolving their opposition-led elected union last July. The detention of scores of dissidents and civic activists for criticism of the government media has raised alarm over a tighter authoritarian grip, rights groups and independent politicians say.