What a great loss to the reform in Jordan... and to all reformers
“Jordan minister resigns amid criticism over handling of aid”AFP (February 19): Jordanian Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah, who also holds the international cooperation portfolio, resigned Saturday, amid criticism in parliament over his handling of aid projects, officials said. “Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah has resigned, and a royal decree accepting the resignation will be issued Saturday afternoon,” one official told AFP. Another senior official confirmed that the minister was to step down. Awadallah, 40, was chairman of the government’s economic policy committee and considered close to King Abdullah II. He was also responsible for managing aid projects in the country, and has been criticised for ignoring the needs of rural areas. Abdullah recently directed a royal commission to consider dividing the country into three development zones, whose administrations would be automous and whose boards would be locally elected, to manage projects in their areas. That was seen as a first sign of royal disapproval of the minister. Awadallah has held the planning job since 2001. Individual ministerial resignations are a rarity in Jordan.
“Jordanian planning minister resigns, no reason given”
AP: A top Cabinet minister has resigned and a successor is expected to be named soon, government spokeswoman Asma Khader said Saturday. Planning Minister Bassem Awadallah has tendered his resignation to the prime minister, Khader said. She said she did not know why Awadallah, who is also a minister for international cooperation, has quit. “He just wanted to leave,” Khader said. She said a successor is likely to be named soon, “possibly tomorrow.” No other details were immediately available. Awadallah is a close confidant of Jordan’s King Abdullah II and served as an economic strategist under the monarch for at least three years until he took his Cabinet portfolio in 2003. A U.S. university graduate, Awadallah is considered one of the top planning strategists in Jordan, a cash-strapped nation saddled by recession and foreign debts.
posted by Ashraf Zeitoon @ 6:07 AM
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