Jordan's king dissolves parliament
Jordan’s King Abdullah has dissolved parliament in a royal decree to pave the way for the formation of a new government.
Abdullah also appointed Hani Mulqi as prime minister on Sunday to oversee elections before the end of the year, a senior political source said.
The monarch accepted the resignation of premier Abdullah Ensour before appointing an interim head of government to oversee the election.
Parliament had ended its four-year term and the election should be held within four months under the constitution.
The decision came after Jordan's parliament passed several amendments last month, giving King Abdullah more powers.
The changes give the king the right to make key appointments without any nomination process by the government or signatures from the Council of Ministers.
Critics say the move is a rollback of gains made during Arab Spring in 2011, when Abdullah promised reforms that would eventually limit his powers.
In 2015, the parliament passed an amendment that gave Abdullah the power to appoint and fire the heads of the army and intelligence services.
"With these amendments now in place, Jordan is moving toward an absolute monarchy as opposed to a constitutional monarchy whereby the King would rule through a legally accountable executive branch," Abdel Karim al-Dughmi, one of the MPs who voted against the amendments, was quoted as saying last month.
"Under the new rules, those who will be appointed by the King, who enjoys constitutional protection and legal immunity, would be by extension above the law."
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