Jordan's King Abdullah accepts resignation of prime minister Omar Razzaz

The monarch dissolved parliament last Sunday at the end of its four-year term

Omar Razzaz resigned as Jordan's prime minister but has been asked to stay on in a caretaker role. Reuters  

Jordan's King Abdullah II accepted the resignation of prime minister Omar Razzaz on Saturday but asked him to stay on in a caretaker capacity until the monarch designated a successor to oversee parliamentary elections on November 10, state media said.

King Abdullah dissolved parliament last Sunday at the end of its four-year term in a move that under constitutional rules meant the government had to resign within a week.

A new government will pave the way for the November vote, as the country grapples with the rapid spread of Covid-19 infections during the past month for which the last government was widely criticised.

King Abdullah appointed Mr Razzaz in the summer of 2018 to defuse the biggest protests in years over tax increases sought by the International Monetary Fund to reduce Jordan's large public debt.

The monarch told Mr Razzaz in a letter accepting his resignation that mistakes were made in the handling of the pandemic, echoing medical fears the healthcare system could come to the brink of collapse if the community spread grows out of control.

Jordan reported 1,099 new cases on Saturday, bringing the number of infections in the kingdom to 14,749 with 88 deaths.

King Abdullah hopes a wider shake-up and a new assembly can ease popular disenchantment over economic hardships worsened by the outbreak and limits on civil and political freedoms under emergency laws.

Jordan's economy is expected to shrink by 6 per cent this year as it tackles its worst economic crisis in many years, with unemployment and poverty aggravated by the pandemic.