The Jordanian monarch dissolves parliament before the November elections | Middle east

The election comes amid popular discontent with economic problems exacerbated by COVID-19 and allegations of corruption.

Jordan’s King Abdullah dissolved parliament, paving the way for elections in November.

Under the constitutional rules, the government must resign within a week.

In July, the Jordanian Electoral Commission set November 10 as the date for parliamentary elections after the king called for general elections in the country at the end of the House of Representatives’s four-year term.

The king issued a royal decree dissolving parliament starting on Sunday. The assembly includes 130 deputies, most of whom are pro-government tribal officials, businessmen and former security officials.

The move is likely to be followed by a broader government reshuffle to stave off public disappointment over economic hardships exacerbated by the economic blow to the coronavirus pandemic and by allegations of official corruption.

King Abdullah appointed Prime Minister Omar Razzaz in 2018 to defuse the biggest protests in years against tax increases the International Monetary Fund had paid to reduce Jordan’s huge public debt.

The Jordanian parliament has legislative powers, but many in the country see it as little more than a sealed body composed mostly of businessmen or individuals belonging to clans.

Constitutionally, most powers revert to the king, who appoints governments and approves legislation.

The main political opposition in the country comes from a party that belongs to the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood, but faces legal restrictions on its activities.