AMMAN — Jordan's Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh submitted his resignation on Thursday to King Abdullah II, barely six months after forming a government to bring in much-needed reforms, a senior official said.
"His Majesty, the king, accepted Khasawneh's resignation Thursday morning," he told AFP without elaborating.
It was unclear why Khasawneh quit, but news reports quoted sources as saying that he was unhappy after the king extended parliament's ordinary session until June 25.
Khasawneh, 62, an International Court of Justice judge, formed his cabinet in October, becoming the third premier in 2011, saying he had "received guarantees from the king to have full sovereignty as prime minister."
He won a comfortable vote of confidence for his government from parliament in December after pledging to push ahead with reforms.
Following his appointment, Khasawneh vowed to fight corruption.
Analysts have warned that his government could be a last-ditch shot at reform.
But Khasawneh came under sharp criticism for proposing an electoral law that has been seen as a blow to pro-reform movements, including the powerful opposition Islamists.
The long-awaited draft, which was approved by the cabinet earlier this month, scraps a contested one-person-one-vote system and increases a quota for women MPs.
But the Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm, the Islamic Action Front, as well as other groups criticised the proposal, mainly for limiting the number of seats allocated to political parties.
Jordanians have been demonstrating since January 2011, demanding sweeping economic and political reforms, including elected governments, as well as an end to corruption.
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