Jordan PM quits amid mass protests against tax increases

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Monday accepted the resignation of his embattled prime minister and reportedly tapped a leading reformer as a successor, hoping to quell the largest anti-government protests in recent years, which are also seen as a potential challenge to his two-decade-old rule.

Jordan is a staunch military and political ally of the West in a turbulent region, and any threat to the kingdom’s stability is viewed with concern, particularly by neighboring Israel and by the U.S.

Prime Minister Hani Mulki’s resignation came after several days of mass protests across Jordan against a planned tax increase, the latest in a series of economic reforms sought by the International Monetary Fund to get the rising public debt under control. The government has also raised prices for bread, electricity and fuel.

Many Jordanians feel they are being squeezed financially by a government they perceive as corrupt and aloof, and say they are not getting services for the taxes they are asked to pay.

Government-linked media said Education Minister Omar Razzaz, a Harvardeducated reformer, has been tapped as Mulki’s successor, though the choice was not officially confirmed.

Mulki is to serve as caretaker until his replacement has been named, the state news agency Petra said.

In meetings with Jordanian newspaper editors and journalists later Monday, the king promised reforms, saying the country must meet its challenges “away from the traditional approach,” but did not give specifics.