THOUSANDS RALLY FOR POLITICAL REFORM IN JORDAN

 

AMMAN, Jordan -  Thousands of protesters gathered in downtown Amman, Jordan, Friday to demand political change.

The demonstration came less than a day after King Abdullah II dissolved the country's parliament and called for early elections close to the new year.

                                                                King Abdullah II

The peaceful rally called for constitutional reforms, with protesters complaining that the king has too much power. They demanded that representatives be able to run for election in a democratic system rather than be under his control.

"Whoever (is) corrupted is the enemy of God," they chanted, waving Jordanian flags.

Many said Jordan's economy is hurting, and too many people cannot afford the high cost of living and are being burdened by high inflation. Unemployment is too high, they said, and young people especially are without work. 
The complaints have been echoed for some time in Jordan and gained steam when the Arab Spring began to sweep North Africa and the Middle East in 2010 and 2011.

Popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya have ousted longtime leaders from power.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told CNN that he thought media had exaggerated the number of protesters at the rally, and said an accurate number is about 7,000 to 8,000.

Source: CNN...More...