Jordan's King Abdullah II swore in a new government here Monday, led by veteran diplomat Bisher Al Khaswaneh, the state-run Petra news agency reported. Khaswaneh, 51, was appointed on Wednesday to replace Omar Al Razzaz. The new premier has spent most of his public career as a veteran diplomat, with his last stint as palace adviser. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Finance Minister Mohamad Al Ississ, who oversees the country's reform program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), kept their posts in a 32-member Cabinet, according to Reuters. Outgoing Premier Razzaz, who had been appointed in 2018, submitted his government resignation earlier this month, as a constitutional requirement, following dissolution of the House of Representatives, last month. The new Cabinet sees the entry of new ministers of the interior, health and transport, while ministers of foreign affairs, finance, and culture keep their portfolios. In the new Cabinet, Safadi was appointed as deputy prime minister along with the foreign affairs portfolio, Umayyah Touqan was appointed as deputy prime minister for economic affairs and Tawfiq Krishan was appointed as deputy prime minister for local administration affairs. In a letter to the new prime minister on Oct. 7, the King said the process of Cabinet formation comes amid the COVID-19 spread, stressing that citizens' health and wellbeing is the top priority. This demands that the government continues to take all carefully studied measures to deal with the pandemic, in a manner that balances healthcare considerations with operating economic sectors and safeguarding citizens' livelihoods, the letter added. Harvard-educated Al Ississ, who has won IMF praise for his handling of the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, helped negotiate a four-year IMF program worth $1.3 billion, approved in March, which signaled confidence in Jordan's reforms. The IMF deal will enable Jordan to access more than $3 billion in cheaper financing through concessionary loans and grants from its major Western donors that will help soften the effects of COVID-19 on its economy, they said. Al Ississ has spearheaded the first such drive in the country's recent history to curb rampant tax evasion as part of the IMF-backed fiscal reforms to help improve public finances and support the economy after the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. Khaswaneh said in a letter to the monarch after the swearing in ceremony he was committed to the campaign to recover the millions of dollars owed to the Jordanian government. The drive which has so far raised over $600 million in taxes owed by companies will help offset a steep decline in revenues in the first half of the year, when the coronavirus pandemic halted much economic activity — especially tourism, a main source of foreign currency. The prime minister also said the main goal of next year's state budget was to maintain fiscal prudence to rein in a record $45 public debt aggravated by the health crisis. — Agencies
