Jordanian king dissolves parliament, calls for general election two years ahead of schedule

November 26, 2009 The King of Jordan, King Abdullah, dissolved the country's parliament on Tuesday, half-way through its four year term, and called for early general elections to be held, up to two years ahead of schedule.

The monarch did not immediately provide a reason for the move; however, there have recently been reports accusing the parliament of handling legislation ineptly, and even of being corrupt. The king's decree ordered the civil service to host new elections to replace the 110-member parliament, although an exact date for the polls hasn't yet been named.

Critics of the parliament have said that its members didn't properly address issues such as unemployment and poverty. The opposition, however, asserted that the house had been disbanded so that the government could use emergency laws to pass legislation.

King Abdullah has now disbanded the parliament two times since he came to power in 1999.