Jordan Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

Political subdivisions: eight governorates under centrally appointed officials

Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; constitution adopted 1952; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May

Branches: King holds balance of power;

Prime Minister exercises executive authority in name of King; Cabinet appointed by King and responsible to parliament, bicameral parliament with House of Representatives, dissolved by King in February 1976, and reconvened in January 1984, following national elections; Senate last appointed by King in January 1984; secular court system based on differing legal systems of the former Transjordan and Palestine; law Western in concept and structure; Sharia (religious) courts for Muslims, and religious community council courts for non-Muslim communities; desert police carry out quasijudicial functions in desert areas

Government leader HUSSEIN I, King (since August 1952)

Suffrage: universal adult at age 20

Political parties and leaders: political party activity illegal since 1957

Communists: party actively repressed, membership estimated at less than 500

Member of: Arab League, F AO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Jordan on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Jordan 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Jordan 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.