Hani Fawzi Mulki (also known as Hani Mulki; ; ; born 15 October 1951) is a Jordanian politician that held several ministerial and diplomatic positions, and he was Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority before his designation as the 41st Prime Minister of Jordan by King Abdullah II and approval by the House of Representatives on 29 May 2016. Mulki served as Prime Minister until he submitted his resignation on 4 June 2018 after protests had swept the country because of his government's IMF-backed austerity measures that aimed to tackle Jordan's growing public debt. The measures would raise the price of goods and services, as well as hike the tax rate. Early life Born in Amman in 1951, Mulki received a bachelor's degree in production engineering in Egypt in 1974 and pursued his Masters and Doctoral degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Career He served as Jordan's ambassador to Egypt and as Jordan's permanent representative at the Arab League. He has held several ministerial positions; water, energy, supplies, industry and foreign affairs ministries. Mulki chaired the negotiating committee which produced the Israel-Jordan peace treaty between Jordan and Israel in 1994. During his time as foreign minister, Jordan experienced diplomatic issues with both Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Mulki was appointed as Scientific Advisor to the King, and then a member of the Senate. On 9 February 2011, Mulki was reappointed as Minister of Trade and Industries. On 9 November 2014, he was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, replacing Kamel Mahadin. On 29 May 2016, Mulki was appointed as the Prime Minister of Jordan, succeeding Abdullah Ensour. His cabinet was sworn in on 1 June. After the 2016 general election Mulki order a cabinet reshuffle, which resulted in three new portfolios, 22 ministers remaining and the introduction of 7 new ministers. Rising Jordanian public debt led Mulki in 2016 to negotiate a 3-year program $732 million loan facility with the International Monetary Fund, which would see the public debt falling from 95% of the GDP to 77% by 2021. The austerity program raised prices on several food staples in 2016 and 2017, making him very unpopular in the country. A 22 March 2018 report by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace commented on Mulki's policies: "Mulki declared openly that his predecessors had left the country at the brink of insolvency and that the failure to take