Constitution:
1 January 1952; amended 1974, 1976, 1984
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999); Prince
HUSSEIN (born 1994), son of King ABDALLAH, is first in line to
inherit the throne
head of government: Prime Minister Adnan BADRAN (since 7 April
2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Marwan al-MUASHER and Hisham al-TEL
(since 3 July 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the
Senate, also called the House of Notables (Majlis al-Ayan) (55
seats; members appointed by the monarch from designated categories
of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of
Representatives, also called the House of Deputies (Majlis
al-Nuwaab) (110 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis
of proportional representation to serve four-year terms; note - six
seats are reserved for women and are allocated by a special
electoral panel if no women are elected)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 17 June 2003 (next
to be held NA 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - independents and others 89.6%, Islamic Action Front (IAF)
10.4%; seats by party - independents and others 92, Islamic Action
Front 18; note - one of the six quota seats was given to a female
IAF candidate
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989, the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held; political parties
were not legalized until 1992; King ABDALLAH delayed the 2001
elections until 2003
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)
Political parties and leaders:
Al-Ajyal [Muhammad KHALAYLEH, secretary general]; Al-Umma (Nation)
Party [Ahmad al-HANANDEH, secretary general]; Arab Land Party [Dr.
Ayishah Salih HIJAZAYN, secretary general]; Ba'th Arab Progressive
Party [Fu'ad DABBUR, secretary general]; Communist Party [Munir
HAMARINAH, secretary general]; Constitutional National Party [Ahmad
al-SHUNNAQ, secretary general; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement
[Yusuf ABU BAKR, president]; Green Party [Muhammad BATAYNEH,
secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Hazma MANSOUR, secretary
general]; Islamic al-Walsat Party [Marwan al-FAURI], secretary
general; Jordanian Democratic Left Party [Musa MA'AYTEH, secretary
general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'id Dhiyab Ali
MUSTAFA, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic (Hashd)
Party [Ahmad YUSUF, secretary general]; Jordanian Progressive Party
[Fawwaz al-ZUBI, secretary general]; Labor Party [Dr. Mazin Sulayman
Jiryis HANNA, secretary general]; Muslim Centrist Party [leader NA];
National Action (Haqq) Party [Tariq al-KAYYALI, secretary general];
National Constitutional Party [Abdul Hadi MAJALI, secretary
general]; National Movement for Direct Democracy [Mahmud al-NUWAYHI,
secretary general]; Pan-Arab (Democratic) Movement [Mahmud
al-NUWAYHI, secretary general]; (Arab) Socialist Ba'th Party [Taysir
al-HIMSI, secretary general]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Anti-Normalization Committee [Ali Abu SUKKAR, president vice
chairman]; Jordanian Bar Association [Saleh ARMOUTI, president];
Jordanian Press Association [Sayf al-SHARIF, president]; Muslim
Brotherhood [Abd-al-Majid DHUNAYBAT, secretary general]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OIC, ONUB,
OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNMISET, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Karim Tawfiq KAWAR
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110