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Reuters
AMMAN
Shops and pharmacies closed in Jordan's capital on Wednesday as some unions pressed ahead with a strike protesting against tax hikes, after King Abdullah replaced his prime minister to try to defuse public anger.
A draft law to raise income taxes and International Monetary Fund-driven reforms that have pushed up prices have sparked the country's largest protests in years. Last week, more than 30 unions, representing tens of thousands of public and private sector employees, held mass rallies in Amman and other cities.
Many of them pulled out of Wednesday's walkout after the king appointed former World Bank economist Omar al-Razzaz on Tuesday to form a new government and urged talks over the law. Razzaz replaces Hani Mulki, who resigned after refusing to scrap the tax reform bill.
Harvard-educated Razzaz, who was education minister, will start consultations on Wednesday to form a new government.
Some businesses in Amman were shut and hospital employees staged a protest, while hundreds of men and women converged outside the headquarters of the Professional Unions Association, although in smaller numbers than last week.
The protests have shaken Jordan, a U.S. ally that has mostly escaped the turmoil that has buffeted its neighbours in the Middle East in recent years.
Often seen as a unifying figure in Jordan, the king said the new cabinet must review the entire tax system and immediately start a dialogue over the tax law, which the government sent to parliament last month. He called for political parties, unions and civil society groups to take part in the talks.
Protesters had pressed on overnight, with hundreds rallying amid tight security in the capital though turnout appeared lower than for the past few nights.
Police blocked the roads to stop the sea of demonstrators with their picket signs from reaching the Cabinet office."We don't want a change of names, we want a change in policy,"one banner read."Bring back bread subsidies,"another said.
