Jordan's prime minister has become the latest victim of the Arab spring, sacked by King Abdullah after failing to push though reforms to defuse popular criticism.
Marouf al-Bakhit was asked to resign amid charges of incompetence, economic problems, a cover-up and suspicions that the regime had orchestrated attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators.
He is succeeded by Awn al-Khasawneh, a former judge at the international court of justice (ICJ), who becomes the country's third prime minister this year.
Bakhit, a conservative former general, was blamed for implementing reforms too slowly and was tarnished by a row over a controversial casino project. On Sunday 70 out of 120 Jordanian MPs wrote to the king demanding his resignation, a rare display of parliamentary power.
"Continuing the political reform drive requires reconsidering and reviewing several laws in line with our new constitution, freedom, pluralism and the rule of law," the king said in a letter to Khasawneh.
Khasawneh welcomed the participation of Islamists in his government and pledged to keep channels open to them and other opposition movements. The new government will work to "restore people's confidence in government …treating people based on justice", he told the Ammon news website.
Islamists in Jordan have been allowed to play a role in parliament but remain suspicious of the government's intentions.
Sheikh Hamzeh Mansour, secretary general of the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, gave a cautious welcome. Islamist participation would be governed by three determinants, "the person of the prime minister, the ministerial team, and a clear timeline to implement reforms", he said.
Jordan, like Morocco, another western-backed Arab monarchy, has been relatively successful in containing popular protests, despite unrest around the region from Tunisia to Syria. Abdullah has promised further changes, including giving political parties more freedom and allowing parliament to appoint the prime minister, but he has not given any timetable for implementation.
Khasawneh, 61, previously served as a legal adviser to the king's father, King Hussein. He was vice-president of the ICJ from 2006-09.
Bakhit was appointed in February after the king sacked an unpopular pro-business prime minister. The Guardian revealed last month that Bakhit had authorised a secret contract to build an extra-legal supercasino complex, despite publicly denying responsibility for it. The multimillion-dollar Dead Sea casino deal is now frozen and has been the focus of anti-corruption street protests and parliamentary crises.
In another change that appeared to reflect unease at the top in Amman, King Abdullah also replaced the head of the country's intelligence service, which plays a big role in government and security. The new chief, Faisal Shoubaki, was formerly Jordan's ambassador to Morocco.
