Amman - Jordan's King Abdullah dismissed his conservative Prime Minister Abdul-Raouf al-Rawabdeh yesterday and replaced him with a liberal-leaning politician with strong business credentials.
The monarch asked Ali Abu al-Ragheb, a prominent member of parliament and former minister, to take over from Mr Rawabdeh in the first government change since he succeeded his father, King Hussein, early last year. Mr Ragheb and his new cabinet are expected to take the oath of office within the next 24 hours. In April, more than 50 members of parliament severely criticised Mr Rawabdeh's handling of domestic affairs in an unprecedented letter to King Abdullah.