Jordan: Extensive Cabinet Reshuffle Expected Today in the Government of Jaafar Hassan

SadaNews - The office of Jordan's Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan announced that a cabinet reshuffle will take place today, Wednesday. This reshuffle is expected to encompass various ministries within the cabinet and may affect half of the members of the 31-member government.

According to what has been published by the Jordanian News Agency (Petra), quoting the Prime Minister's office, the reshuffle will be "extensive" and will involve "approximately a third of the ministerial team", which is about 10 to 11 ministers, according to observer estimates, including half of the "modernization team".

This move has sparked debate within political circles, which have been preoccupied with speculations in recent weeks about the timing of the first cabinet reshuffle of Hassan's government. The brief announcement has provided initial indications about the qualifications of the new ministers, noting that the reshuffle "aims to bolster the ministerial team with new capabilities that build on what has been accomplished, and align with the urgency required for the implementation of modernization projects, foremost among them the economic modernization vision".

Recently, Hassan's government conducted intensive workshops to develop the second implementation plan for the economic modernization vision, which was launched in 2022 for a period of ten years during the tenure of former Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh, with the first phase concluding at the end of this year.

This step comes about 11 months after the formation of Hassan's government, which he was tasked to form on September 15 of last year, and announced on the 18th of the same month, succeeding Al-Khasawneh, whose tenure marked the longest period for a prime minister in the kingdom's history, extending to five consecutive years.

Former Jordanian MP Tamam Al-Riyati stated on her official Facebook page: "I hope the cabinet reshuffle is not based on quota or C.V's". She added: "It should be based on the actual performance evaluation in the positions held in the state".