Jordan’s King Abdullah II designated a well-known international judge as his Prime Minister on Monday, a royal palace statement said, replacing a premier, who ran afoul of reformers.
Awn al-Khasawneh, 61, succeeds Marouf al-Bakhit, 64, who resigned earlier in the day after a majority of 70 out of 120 parliamentarians called for his ouster.
Mr. Al-Bakhit was widely perceived as dragging his feet on a political reform package. He was also accused of corruption during his earlier 2005-2007 tenure as Prime Minister.
He was the deputy chief of the Hague-based International Court of Justice. He also served as a chief adviser to Mr. Abdullah’s late father, King Hussein.
Mr. Al-Khasawneh has a reputation as a clean politician as well as a noted legal expert. His designation is expected to reinforce King Abdullah II’s stated intentions of instituting reforms.
