Jordan to speed up political reforms, minister says

Feb 25, 2009, 15:36 GMT

Amman - The reshuffled Jordanian government said Wednesday it was embarking on a new era of 'openness' with the Islamic-led opposition in order to speed up political reforms, including the enactment of a new election law.

'Upon instructions from King Abdullah II, the government will be staging a new epoch of openness with all political parties and civilian society organizations in the run-up for the enactment of laws that boost democracy and reforms,' newly-appointed Minister of Political Development Mussa Maaita said.

'All draft laws needed for re-organizing political life in the country, including the election law, will be on the table of dialogue with political parties,' he added.

Maaita, a left-leaning politician, was picked earlier this week by Prime Minister Nader Dahabi as new minister for political development in a major reshuffle of his 15-month-old cabinet - apparently in a bid to assure opposition parties, foremost the Islamic Action Front (IAF), that he was determined to go ahead with political reforms.

The IAF, the political arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, has cast doubt on the ability of the reshuffled government to carry out the purported reforms, including the change of the notorious election law which they said had produced a new lower house of parliament that does not represent the will of the people.

Former Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez, whom Islamists accuse of rigging the general elections in November 2007, was dropped from the new ministerial formation and replaced by Nayef Qadi, reportedly with clean record when he performed the same job a decade ago.