King Abdullah II succeeded his father Hussein following the latter's death in February 1999. Abdullah moved quickly to reaffirm Jordan's peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the U.S. Abdullah, during his first year in power, refocused the government's agenda on economic reform.

Jordan's continuing structural economic difficulties, burgeoning population, and more open political environment led to the emergence of a variety of political parties. Moving toward greater independence, Jordan's Parliament has investigated corruption charges against several regime figures and has become the major forum in which differing political views, including those of political Islamists, are expressed. In June 2001, the King dissolved Parliament. Parliamentary elections were held in June 2003 and municipal elections were held in July 2003. The King dissolved the government in October 2003, appointing a new Prime Minister and ushering in three women and several young technocrats as ministers. The cabinet declared its commitment to accelerated economic and political reforms. In April 2005, the King accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Faisal Al-Fayez and appointed Adnan Badran in his place. The King subsequently approved Badran's formation of a new government, in which a number of key ministerial posts were reshuffled.