Jordan's opposition said on Sunday it has rejected an offer to join a new government led by Prime Minister Marruf Bakhit and tasked with pushing through reforms. "We have received an offer to join the government of Marruf Bakhit, but we refused," Hamzah Mansur, leader of the powerful Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, told AFP.
"We did not discuss the details of the offer, but all what I can say is that taking part in this government under the current circumstances is out of the question," he said.
While the IAF's internal bylaws do not prevent the opposition from joining government, "acceptable participation for us is the one that comes through national consensus and parliamentary elections," he added. "We are not asking for miracles. Our demands are realistic, practical and do-able. We demand early general polls in line with a new electoral law."
The IAF boycotted the last general election in November in protest at constituency boundaries set up under a new electoral law, which it said over-represented rural areas considered loyal to the government.
Bakhit said on Saturday that his cabinet - which he hopes to have in place by next Thursday - would "include personalities who are credible and close to the people." King Abdullah II instructed the 64-year-old career soldier and past prime minister to undertake a sweeping programme of political and economic reforms following street protests.
When Bakhit was appointed, the opposition questioned his reformist credentials. But opposition leaders expressed satisfaction on Friday after meeting both him and the monarch. Meanwhile, Jordan's trade unions, which group more than 200,000 members and are largely dominated by the opposition, urged Bakhit to "widen participation of all civil society institutions in decision-making, and meet their demands."
The unions, which also had a meeting with Bakhit on Saturday, issued a statement listing their demands and calling for "a modern electoral law, which would boost national sense of belonging." "All laws that restrict freedom of expression should be scrapped. Current economic policies should also be reviewed," they said, urging Bakhit to pick "capable, honest and responsible people" for his team "at this critical stage."
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