Islamists say new Jordan premier is ‘not a reformist’

KING Abdullah II of Jordan sacked the government yesterday after weeks of protests, but his choice of replacement premier failed to satisfy the powerful Islamist opposition’s demands for reform.

The king named Maruf Bakhit, 64, to replace Samir Rifai, 43, with orders to carry out “true political reforms,” the palace said, but the Islamists criticised the choice, saying he is not a reformist.

“Bakhit’s mission is to take practical, quick and tangible steps to launch true political reforms, enhance Jordan’s democratic drive and ensure safe and decent living for all Jordanians,” a palace statement said.

Zaki Bani Rsheid, a leader of the Islamic Action Front (IAF), said Bakhit, who served as prime minister from 2005 to 2007, “is not a man of reforms”.

“He carried out the worst parliamentary elections in Jordan in 2007. He is not the right person to run things at this current state and get Jordan out of crisis,” Bani Rsheid told AFP.

The Islamists have long charged that the 2007 election was rigged after only six of the IAF’s 22 candidates were victorious that year, a tally down on the 17 seats the group won in the previous polls in 2003.

Loyalists of the king again won a landslide in new elections last November after the IAF boycotted the poll in protest at constituency boundaries they said under- represented their urban strongholds.

“We need a man who is well respected by the people, a man who does not have a history of corruption and oppression. How can he (Bakhit) lead political reform?” Bani Rsheid asked.

Despite measures to pump about $500 million (€360m) into the economy in a bid to help improve living conditions, protests have been held to demand political and economic reform.