King dissolves House, appoints Mulki as new premier

AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday entrusted Hani Mulki to form a new government, succeeding that of Abdullah Ensour, which resigned earlier in the day.

Meanwhile, a Royal Decree was issued on Sunday dissolving the Lower House of Parliament as of Sunday, a Royal Court statement said.

The new premier, a several-time minister, senator and veteran diplomat, was serving as the former chief commissioner of Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority before the designation.

Born in Amman in 1951, Mulki was trained as production engineer in Egypt and completed his post-graduate studies in the US. He has served as Jordan's ambassador to Egypt and permanent representative at the Arab League. He has held the water, energy, supplies, industry and foreign affairs portfolios in previous governments.

Ensour served as premier from October 2012 and was re-designated in March 2013 following consultations with the main blocs of the then newly elected House, led by Royal Court Chief Fayez Tarawneh.