AMMAN, Jordan ? King Abdullah II of Jordan moved quickly to block a recent increase in fuel prices after angry protesters took to the streets over the weekend, raising the specter of renewed social and political unrest in the cash-poor kingdom.
Already shaken by protests inspired by other revolts in the region, Jordan, a country of six million, is now contending with an influx of refugees from Syria, putting further strain on the country?s finances and stability.
The Jordanian government had mandated a 10 percent increase in the price of 90-octane gasoline and diesel fuel as part of an effort to reduce the subsidy burden on the state budget, in line with International Monetary Fund recommendations. The increase went into effect on Saturday.
By Saturday night, about 600 people, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, were demonstrating here in the capital. Some 3,000 people staged demonstrations in Irbid, a large city north of Amman, and protests also took place to the south in the cities of Maan and Karak. Some of the demonstrators displayed strong antigovernment slogans.
On Sunday, 89 members of Jordan?s 120-seat Parliament signed a motion of no confidence against the government of Prime Minister Fayez Tarawneh over the fuel prices and ?because of recent appointments in top posts based on nepotism,? according to Petra, the official Jordanian news agency. King Abdullah then ordered Mr. Tarawneh to ?freeze? the government?s decision to raise fuel prices, immediately canceling the 10 percent increase, Petra reported.
Early last year, Jordanians presented the first serious challenge to the rule of King Abdullah, a crucial American ally who inherited the throne 13 years ago, staging street demonstrations to demand an end to corruption and democratic reform.
The king reacted quickly, firing the sitting government and pledging political reform. He has since replaced another two prime ministers, though there has been public dissatisfaction with the slow pace of change.
In the last few months, a wave of demonstrations had subsided. The increasingly violent rebellion in neighboring Syria and the brutal suppression by the government of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, appeared to have dampened the enthusiasm of some activists in Jordan, who fear the prospect of a slide into chaos.
Still, the king?s quick response to Saturday?s protests appeared to signal anxiety on the part of the authorities that popular discontent could again roil Jordan.
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