Jordanians affirm rejection of fiscal policies as protests continue

(MENAFN) Anti-government protests resumed in Jordan on Tuesday despite the resignation of the country's Prime Minister who had led the push for unpopular austerity measures.

Several thousand Jordanians marched toward the office of outgoing Prime Minister Hani Mulki, demanding the Government scrap proposed tax increases which critics say mostly target the poor and the middle class.

After Mulki resigned and the king accepted his resignation, Jordanians took to the streets to announce their rejection of the fiscal policies and to assure that they the protests will not be led down until the policies are changed, chanting "No Mulki, No Razzaz(the new PM), We don't want different faces but same method."

President of the Jordan engineers' association, Ahmed al Zubi, called on protesters to gather at the professional association complex in Amman on Wednesday "in a peaceful sit in" to show their disapproval of the government policies.

"Our goal has not been achieved yet," he tweeted following a meeting with other union leaders in Amman.

The measures were among those agreed with the International Monetary Fund in 2016 when it gave Jordan a USD723m, three-year credit line to keep its economy afloat. The reforms have caused prices of basic goods and services to rise steadily.

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