The “resignation” of prominent Jordanian government minister Khaled Al-Bakkar cannot be considered “valid” constitutionally unless it is accepted by the King and in accordance with a special decree, despite the “systematic noise” for more than 48 hours in the Jordanian scene under the title: “The Prime Minister asked Al-Bakkar to submit his resignation.”
In practice, the Minister of Labor in the government remains in his position until a royal decree is issued.
But the king is temporarily out of the country.
Al-Bakkar himself “announced his resignation” while on a private visit and official leave abroad, in a confusing, unfamiliar and unprecedented scene, which justifies the recommendation to appoint Transport Minister Nidal Qatamin as acting Minister of Labor.
The excitement reached advanced levels in the Jordanian domestic debate until dawn on Friday, when reports suddenly stated that Al-Bakkar had submitted his resignation following a direct order from Prime Minister Jaafar Hassan last Sunday, while it was mentioned that Deputy Prime Minister Ayman Safadi was the one who received the written resignation, which is not yet constitutionally valid.
There is chaos in the ministerial square resulting from the resignation or dismissal of an important minister in the government, while the Prime Minister is also out of the country on a “private vacation” for a week.
Sources close to al-Bakkar reported that he has decided to remain silent for now regarding the circumstances of his resignation and media reports, but that he will explain, clarify, and reveal more later. These are indications of a potential clash and repercussions following the resignation of al-Bakkar, a man with extensive experience in parliament.
Hassan could have announced the dismissal of the minister instead of leaking news about demanding his resignation due to an “alleged violation” of the “code of conduct” which requires staff not to benefit at all during their employment.
The reason for the uproar is not the resignation or dismissal of an important minister in the government, but rather the news published by the official Kingdom Channel on its website, in which Hassan issued a directive to cancel “tenders” that were referred by the Ministry of Health to “the minister’s son”.
The official narrative here speaks of a “minister who abused his position,” and that a private company owned by his son obtained bids.
But Al-Bakkar's own account may be different, and it is not yet known whether the matter goes beyond the issue of awarding a service tender to one of the Ministry of Health's hospitals.
