Details added (first version posted at 21:30)
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday asked a conservative former adviser to form a new government after the prime minister resigned six months after taking office with a mandate to implement political reforms, dpa reported.
The state-run news agency Petra said Fayez Tarawneh, a political conservative who previously served as prime minister from 1998-1999 under the reign of King Hussein, was asked to form a new government.
Observers say the King's selection of Tarawneh, a former Royal Court chief, is sign the monarch is turning to a trusted hand to help steer the country through an emerging "political crisis."
Protesters inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings have been holding demonstrations to demand political reforms but those have remained largely small compared with popular uprisings that toppled rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
Government sources linked Awn Khasawneh's resignation as prime minister to growing differences between the premier and the monarch over political reforms. The resignation marked Jordan's fourth change of government since the Arab Spring uprisings.
A source close to Khasawneh said he resigned over efforts by key advisers to King Abdullah to undermine government efforts to implement democratic reforms.
Sources said the prime minister objected to a controversial election law forced upon the government by the Royal Palace. The draft law prompted the resignation of Justice Minister Salim Al-Zoubi.
Khasawneh, a former International Court of Justice vice president, was appointed as premier by King Abduallah last year to lead reform efforts.
The former judge helped warm ties between the government and the Muslim Brotherhood and attempted to include the opposition in the decision-making process.