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Jordan’s days of rage force PM to resign

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has accepted the resignation of the prime minister in a bid to appease the Jordanians who have been protesting IMF-backed austerity measures.
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The past week has been like no other in the recent history of Jordan, with massive public demonstrations leading to the forced resignation of the prime minister. Spontaneous protests broke out May 31 after the government approved a sharp hike in fuel prices by an average of 5%. The day before, thousands of Jordanians observed an unprecedented general strike called for by the kingdom’s powerful professional associations to protest a controversial income tax bill. The government of outgoing Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki, which had sent the legislation to parliament without allowing public debate, had been under public pressure for months since it passed a contentious 2018 state budget, lifted subsidies on bread and imposed a sales tax on essential goods.

Since May 31, Jordanians, mostly young men and women, have been taking to the streets in the capital Amman and other cities across the kingdom, demanding the sacking of the government and rejecting its austerity measures. Largely peaceful in nature, with few injuries and arrests, thousands of protesters were prevented from heading to the Prime Ministry in west Amman by anti-riot police who were lauded by citizens on social media for their discipline. While the state-run media avoided coverage of the mass protests, protesters took to Facebook and Twitter to broadcast live scenes of the nightly rallies.

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