Jordan's King Abdullah Names Karaki as New Royal Court Chief

By Massoud A. Derhally - Mar 3, 2011

Jordan’s King Abdullah appointed Khaled al-Karaki, a former minister of education and deputy prime minister, as his new royal court chief, replacing Nasser Lozi, the state-run-Petra news agency reported today.

Karaki previously served as chief of the royal court under King Hussein of Jordan in the 1990s, father of the present monarch. It’s customary for the king to change the royal court chief whenever a new prime minister is appointed and a government is formed.

Jordan’s King Abdullah swore in the government of Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, replacing that of Samir Rifai on Feb. 9 asking it to bring in immediate political and economic changes without hesitation.

He was responding to protests by Islamist led opposition groups that have been staged on Fridays since the revolt in Tunisia that forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile on Jan. 14. The unrest has also spread to Egypt, where Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president after mass protests, and Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Algeria.

King Abdullah, who appoints the government, can dissolve the legislature and rule by decree in its absence.

Source: Bloomberg.
Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-03/jordan-s-king-abdullah-names-karaki-as-new-royal-court-chief.html.