Bisher Al-Khasawneh

Bisher Al Khasawneh (Arabic: بشر الخصاونة‎; born 27 January 1969)[1] is a Jordanian politician and diplomat who has served as Prime Minister of Jordan and Minister of Defense since 12 October 2020.

Bisher Al-Khasawneh
Al-Khasawneh in 2020
Prime Minister of Jordan
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 October 2020
Monarch	Abdullah II
Preceded by	Omar Razzaz
Minister of Defence
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 October 2020
Prime Minister	Himself
Personal details
Born	January 27, 1969
Nationality	Jordanian
Spouse(s)	Rana Sultan
Children	Hani, Zein, and Nour.
Awards	Order of the Star of Jordan, Order of Independence

Al-Khasawneh was an ambassador of Jordan to Egypt, France, Kenya, Ethiopia, African Union, League of Arab States, and to UNESCO. He also served as Coordinator General and Director of the Peace Process and Negotiations Bureau in Jordan.[2] He served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs between 2016 and 2017. He subsequently was Minister of State for Legal Affairs between 2017 and 2018. He served as the adviser to King Abdullah II for Communication and Coordination at The Royal Hashemite Court between April 2019 and August 2020. Until his appointment as Prime Minister Al-Khasawneh served as the adviser to the King for policies.

Life

Al-Khasawneh's father Hani was a leader of the Ba'ath Party.[3] He obtained a doctorate in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.[4]

On 28 September 2016 he was named Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Hani Mulki's cabinet.[5] On 15 January 2017 he was named Minister of State for Legal Affairs in a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Hani Mulki.[6] Al-Khasawneh was sworn in as Jordan's ambassador to France on 31 August 2018.[7]

On 23 April 2019 he was named adviser for Communication and Coordination to King Abdullah II in the The Royal Hashemite Court.[8] On 18 August 2020 he was named as adviser to the king for policies.[9]

Upon his appointment as Prime Minister on 8 October 2020 King Abdullah II instructed him to improve the capabilities of the state in the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan.[3] He was also tasked with overseeing the November 2020 parliamentary elections.[10] His cabinet, in which he also serves as Minister of Defence, was sworn in on 12 October 2020.[11] Al-Khasawneh stated he wanted to overhaul the Jordan economy, while focusing on developing a public safety net and planning a realistic government budget.[12]

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Law from University of Jordan.
• Executive Diploma in counter-radicalization and counter-terrorism from National Defense University.
• Executive Diploma in Public Policies from John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
• Master degree in International Affaires, Diplomacy and Economics from SOAS, University of London.
• Master of Laws in International Law and Ph.D in Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.[4]

Positions

• President of the Legal Committee Council of Ministers of Jordan.
• Member of Economic Development and Services and Social Affairs Committees Council of Ministers of Jordan.
• Part time Lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Jordan and Jordanian Institute of Diplomacy.
• Director General of Jordan Information Centre.
• Advisor at the Prime Ministry of Jordan at the Bureau of Legislation at the Prime Ministry.
• Ambassador of the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan to Cairo.

Awards

• Order of the Star of Jordan (Third class).
• Order of Independence (First and second class).

See also

• Bisher Al-Khasawneh's Cabinet

References

1. "من هو بشر هاني الخصاونة رئيس الوزراء الأردني الجديد؟". The New Arab. 8 October 2020.
2. T. Balzacq (25 June 2009). The External Dimension of EU Justice and Home Affairs: Governance, Neighbours, Security. Palgrave Macmillan UK. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-230-23391-1.
3. "Jordan's king appoints veteran diplomat Bisher Al-Khasawneh prime minister". Arab News. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020.
4. "Profiles of new ministers" (PDF). The Jordan Times. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2019.
5. Omar Obeidat (29 September 2016). "Mulki's new government sworn in". The Jordan Times. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020.
6. "Cabinet reshuffle sees 5 new ministers in, 7 out". The Jordan Times. 15 January 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2020.
7. "New ambassadors sworn in before King". Petra. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018.
8. "Royal Decrees appoint advisers to His Majesty, approve Shobaki's resignation". Petra. 23 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019.
9. "Royal Decrees appoint advisers to His Majesty, RHC". The Royal Hashemite Court. 18 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020.
10. Mina Aldroubi (8 October 2020). "Jordan diplomat Bisher Al Khasawneh faces tough challenges as PM". The National news. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020.
11. "Royal Decree approves new Cabinet headed by Khasawneh". The Jordan Times. 13 October 2020. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020.
12. Neha Bhatia (14 October 2020). "Bisher al-Khasawneh forms new Jordan government". MEED. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020.

External links