Jordan's prime minister defends decision to hold election amid coronavirus surge

Bisher Al Khasawneh says King Abdullah was behind the decision to hold parliamentary elections in November

Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh takes oath during a swearing-in ceremony of the new government in Amman on December 10, 2020. Reuters

Jordan’s King Abdullah insisted on holding parliamentary elections during a coronavirus surge in November, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday as he defended policy to contain the pandemic.

The country was praised for its containment of the virus early in the outbreak, but registered deaths from Covid-19 have surged since October to a total of 3,903.

Turnout for the election was a record low of less than 30 per cent and authorities reimposed a widely resented lockdown immediately after.

Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh said the Covid-19 situation had stabilised but authorities would not rush to lift restrictions.

“The elections were a successful and gleaming milestone that his majesty King Abdullah II insisted on holding by its constitutional date, despite opinions by doubters that it was not possible,” Mr Al Khasawneh said in a speech seeking a vote of confidence from the legislature.

Elections were held “among unprecedented health conditions,” he said.

Mass breaches of coronavirus movement bans after the polls prompted the king to replace the interior minister last month.

“We have reached a stable pandemic situation,” Mr Al Khasawneh said.

He said coronavirus bed numbers doubled in the past few months to 4,451, with 936 ventilators in the country.

The king appointed Mr Al Khasawneh, a former diplomat, as prime minister in October.

He is expected to easily win a vote of confidence in a parliament that has little opposition.

Mr Al Khasawneh said the experience of other countries has shown that “rushing” to reopen the economy and education system could lead to a resurgence in cases of Covid-19.

“We are seeking to avoid such regression,” he said.

Mr Al Khasawneh said he expected free coronavirus vaccinations to begin in Jordan in the first three months of this year.

He said the government had agreed to buy one million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Jordan has a population of 10 million.

Mr Al Khasawneh said he expected the World Health Organisation’s Covax programme to provide Jordan with another two million coronavirus vaccine doses, but he did not say which. The UN programme plans to distribute vaccines to less developed countries, but funding is a problem.

Mr Al Khasawneh confirmed Finance Ministry figures that the economy contracted by 3 per cent last year, but said the country was expecting 2.5 per cent growth this year.

He said the government was working to raise “domestic revenue” to lower the budget deficit, and limit tax evasion and “distortions” in government spending.

These measures were part of a four-year reform plan that began in 2020 and were agreed on with the IMF, Mr Al Khasawneh said.

“We have maintained economic and financial stability despite all the difficulties,” he said.