No let-up in protests in Jordan even after PM resigns

The protests over economic reforms being pushed by the International Monetary Fund entered their fifth day yesterday,with thousands gathering outside the Prime Minister's office in Amman. Photo / AP

Anti-government protests resumed in Jordan yesterday despite the resignation of the country's Prime Minister who had led the push for unpopular austerity measures.

Several thousand Jordanians marched toward the office of outgoing Prime Minister Hani Mulki, demanding the Government scrap proposed tax increases which critics say mostly target the poor and the middle class.

Riot police scuffled with some of the marchers, trying to keep them away from the building, but the fifth street protest in as many days was largely peaceful.

Mulki resigned as Jordan's King Abdullah II tried to get a handle on the biggest protests in the kingdom in several years.

The monarch, who has the ultimate say on policy decisions, promised change, but gave no specifics on possible reforms.

Meanwhile, Mulki is to serve as caretaker.

Jordanian media, including the government-linked Al-Rai newspaper, widely reported that the current Education Minister, Omar Razzaz, was tapped as Mulki's successor. Razzaz had previously held senior positions in the World Bank and is considered a reformer.

Still, there has been no official announcement, and it was not clear when and if Razzaz would be appointed.

Protest organisers have said they seek real change, including a rescinding of the tax bill, and that personnel changes at the top are irrelevant without fundamental reforms.

It's not clear whether Mulki's eventual replacement would have such a mandate.

In the march, some of the protesters chanted, "No to Mulki, No to Razzaz."

An umbrella organisation for more than a dozen unions and professional organisations said it would go ahead with a planned one-day strike today, while several other unions said they would suspend their protests to give the country a chance to solve its problems after Mulki's resignation.

Jordan's Government is under pressure from the International Monetary Fund to carry out economic reforms and austerity measures to rein in growing public debt.

The kingdom has experienced an economic downturn in part because of the conflict in neighbouring Syria and Iraq, and a large influx of refugees. The official unemployment rate has risen to above 18 per cent, and it's believed to be double that among young Jordanians.

- AP