The cabinet lineup was confirmed on Saturday after nearly three weeks of consultations led by prime minister Abdullah Ensour, who himself was reappointed on March 9 after the king canvassed members of parliament

Jordan's King Abdullah sworn in a new government tasked with pushing through austerity measures required under a loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

The cabinet lineup was confirmed on Saturday after nearly three weeks of consultations led by prime minister Abdullah Ensour, who himself was reappointed on March 9 after the king canvassed members of parliament.

The monarch's rare consultations follow constitutional changes devolving powers away from the palace - a response to calls for reform prompted by uprisings across the Arab world and smaller scale protests inside Jordan.

King Abdullah previously hand-picked his prime ministers without consulting parliament, and the 150-member assembly did not play a role in forming governments.

The cabinet announced on Saturday was the smallest in four decades, with 18 ministers.