Jordan - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Jordan, it was named for the Jordan River, which makes up part of Jordan's northwest border. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary constitutional monarchy type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); 'Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, Al ‘Asimah (Amman), At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
National symbols
Eagle; national colors: black, white, green, red.
The flag
The National flag of Jordan has three equal horizontal bands of black (top), representing the Abbassid Caliphate, white, representing the Ummayyad Caliphate, and green, representing the Fatimid Caliphate; a red isosceles triangle on the hoist side, representing the Great Arab Revolt of 1916, and bearing a small white seven-pointed star symbolizing the seven verses of the opening Sura (Al-Fatiha) of the Holy Koran; the seven points on the star represent faith in One God, humanity, national spirit, humility, social justice, virtue, and aspirations; design is based on the Arab Revolt flag of World War I.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "As-salam al-malaki al-urdoni" (Long Live the King of Jordan) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Abdul-Mone'm al-RIFAI'/Abdul-Qader al-TANEER |
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note: adopted 1946; the shortened version of the anthem is used most commonly, while the full version is reserved for special occasions
More about the government of Jordan
| Date of Independence | 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Independence Day, 25 May (1946) |
| Legal system | mixed system developed from codes instituted by the Ottoman Empire (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Previous 1928 (preindependence); latest initially adopted 28 November 1947, revised and ratified 1 January 1952 |
| Amendments | Constitutional amendments require at least a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and the House and ratification by the king; amended several times, last in 2022 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | the father must be a citizen of Jordan |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 15 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King ABDALLAH II (since 7 February 1999) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Bisher AL-KHASAWNEH (since 7 October 2020) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister |
| Elections/appointments | prime minister appointed by the monarch |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of: Senate or the House of Notables or Majlis al-Ayan (65 seats; members appointed by the monarch to serve 4-year terms) Chamber of Deputies or House of Representatives or Majlis al-Nuwaab (130 seats; 115 members directly elected in 23 multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote and 15 seats for women; 12 of the 115 seats reserved for Christian, Chechen, and Circassian candidates; members serve 4-year terms) |
| Elections | Senate - last appointments on 27 Sep 2020 (next appointments by November 2024) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 10 November 2020 (next to be held on 10 September 2024) |
| Election results | Senate - composition - men 55, women 10, percent of women 15.4% Chamber of Deputies; note - tribal, centrist, and pro-government candidates dominated the election; the Islamic Action Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, garnered only 10 seats, down from 15 in the previous election; women, who are guaranteed 15 seats by Jordan’s legislative quota system, won 16 seats, down from 20 seats won in the previous election; composition - men 113, women 17, percentage women 13.1%; note - total National Assembly percentage women 13.8%
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| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Court of Cassation or Supreme Court (consists of 15 members, including the chief justice); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 members) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the king; other judges nominated by the Judicial Council, an 11-member judicial policymaking body consisting of high-level judicial officials and judges, and approved by the king; judge tenure not limited; Constitutional Court members appointed by the king for 6-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 2 years |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal; Great Felonies Court; religious courts; military courts; juvenile courts; Land Settlement Courts; Income Tax Court; Higher Administrative Court; Customs Court; special courts including the State Security Court |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Dina Khalil Tawfiq KAWAR (since 27 June 2016) |
| Chancery | 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 966-2664 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 966-3110 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] http://www.jordanembassyus.org/ |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Yael LEMPERT (since 3 September 2023) |
| Embassy | Abdoun, Al-Umawyeen St., Amman |
| Mailing address | 6050 Amman Place, Washington DC 20521-6050 |
| Telephone | [962] (6) 590-6000 |
| FAX | [962] (6) 592-0163 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://jo.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 6 (5 cultural, 1 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Petra (c); Quseir Amra (c); Um er-Rasas (Kastrom Mefa'a) (c); Wadi Rum Protected Area (m); Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) (c); As-Salt - The Place of Tolerance and Urban Hospitality (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Jordan
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Jordan
Want to know more about Jordan? Check all different factbooks for Jordan below.
