Jordan’s King Abdullah approved a cabinet reshuffle on Thursday, the third in Prime Minister Omar Razzaz’s government since he took office in 2018.
The reshuffle introduced six new ministers, including Nidal al-Bataineh, who was appointed as minister of labour, and Saad Fayez Jaber, who was made minister of health.
Salama Hammad was appointed as minister of the interior, replacing Sameer al-Mobaideen.
Hammad has held the position of interior minister twice before, in 1993 and 2016.
In June 2018, Razzaz, an economist and former education minister, was appointed as prime minister, replacing Hani al-Mulki, who was sacked amid anti-government protests against austerity measures adopted by the government in recent years.
Razzaz has been tasked with reviving the economy and implementing reforms requested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to decrease the budget deficit.
Neighbouring conflicts and an influx of refugees have left the Jordanian economy strained, prompting the government to take a three-year loan from the IMF in 2016, amounting to 723 million dollars.
The loan aims at lowering the country’s public debt, which stands at around 95 per cent of gross domestic product.
DPA/NAN
Source: https://dailynigerian.com/jordans-king-approves-third-cabinet-reshuffle-...
