Amman, Jordan (CNN) -- The main Islamist group in Jordan says it plans further street demonstrations Friday here in the capital to protest the appointment of a new prime minister by King Abdullah II.
The Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, has rejected talks with new Prime Minister Marouf al Bakhit, who is forming a new government. But several of its representatives will be meeting the king later Thursday.
Analysts in the region say the meeting is significant, because it is the first time on record that the leadership of the Brotherhood has met alone with the monarch.
The Front is demanding reform of the country's election law, so that the prime minister is elected by the parliament, instead of chosen by the king. IAF Secretary-General Hamza Mansour told CNN in an interview Thursday that changing prime ministers was not the solution Jordanians needed.
"We want change in the way governments are formed along with quick reforms in general policies and laws," he said. Mansour said he hoped Jordan would not see a repeat of events in Egypt, and its circumstances were different. But the country was in the midst of an economic and political crisis that needed addressing urgently.
"We do not have real political freedoms, and laws are not good," he said. "The economic situation is very difficult here, debts are huge, and so is the budget deficit... The social conditions are difficult and when political and economical conditions worsen, social violence surfaces".
King Abdullah has instructed the new government to re-examine the election law and urgently tackle corruption. Analysts here see the appointment of Bakhit as prime minister as an attempt by the king to shore up support among Jordan's tribes, the bedrock of loyalty to the monarchy. Bakhit is a former intelligence chief who had a previous stint as prime minister, ending in 2007.
He has said the process of forming a government could last several days. A number of Jordanian groups have decided to end their participation in Friday protests, but the Islamic Action Front said it was co-ordinating its plans with several other parties.
Jordan's economy has been hard hit by the global economic downturn and fast-rising commodity prices. After two years of trying to cut the budget deficit by reducing subsidies, the previous government reversed course in January as protests in Tunisia shook the Arab world. Several subsidies were restored and pay for civil servants improved. But the kingdom is heavily reliant on international economic aid to meet its bills. CNN
