King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday appointed former lawmaker Abdullah Nsour as prime minister ahead of the country's legislative elections which are expected to be held before the end of this year, the Royal Palace said in a statement.

In the letter of appointment, the Jordanian King urged Nsour, a former member of the Senate and Lower House, to establish for a transitional political period in the history of Jordan that will facilitate the transformation towards democracy in the Kingdom.

Under the new elections, Jordanian lawmakers will select the new premier rather than being appointed by the King, which according to experts and observers represent a major milestone and turning point in the history of Jordan towards enriching democracy.

In the letter of appointment, the Jordanian King also urged the government to continue dialogue with all political powers, civil societies, institutions and NGOs to encourage them to take part in the polls.

Jordan's largest opposition party the Islamic Action Front is not taking part in the elections as it decided in June to boycott the polls, demanding the change of the current elections law.

Earlier in the day, Tarawneh submitted his resignation to the Jordanian leader.

Tarawneh resigned as the recent constitutional amendments entail that the government should resign in no more than one week after the lower house is dissolved.

Last week, the Jordanian leader dissolved the 120-member lower house of parliament.