Rights
A hereditary constitutional monarchy with a strong Crown
The 1952 Constitution establishes a hereditary monarchy with an appointed Senate and elected House of Representatives. The King appoints the Prime Minister, may dissolve parliament, and retains substantial reserved powers. A Constitutional Court was created in 2012.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National. Jordan is a unitary state.
Governing law
- Constitution of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan 1952, as amended
- Constitutional Court Law No. 15 of 2012
In practice
The 2011 amendments, adopted during regional upheaval, created the Constitutional Court and restricted the use of provisional legislation when parliament is not sitting — previously a very wide executive power. Further amendments in 2016 and 2022 returned some appointment powers to the King and created a National Security Council. The Constitutional Court can review the constitutionality of laws on referral or direct challenge, which is a genuine innovation in a system that previously had no dedicated constitutional jurisdiction, though its caseload remains modest.