Jordan's King Abdullah II said on Wednesday that Arab uprisings had emphasized the need for political reform in the kingdom which would eventually lead to a system of parliamentary government.

"The sensitive regional circumstances and the transformations ... compel us to assert our firm conviction that public participation ... and unwavering commitment to reform are the only way forward," the king said as he opened parliament's second ordinary session.

Jordan's opposition Islamists said on Tuesday the new government's line-up did not meet people's "aspirations and hopes" for reform, a day after the cabinet led by judge Awn Khasawneh took office.

"The new government's composition was not up to the inspirations and hopes of people," said Ali Abu Sukkar, head of the Islamic Action Front (IAF)'s shura council, in a statement carried by the group's website.

A new Jordanian cabinet led by judge Awn Khasawneh took the oath of office before King Abdullah II on Monday, as analysts warned his government could be a last ditch effort for reform.

The king swore in the new 30-strong cabinet of Khasawneh, an International Court of Justice judge, who pledged to push ahead with political reform "at this critical stage of Jordan's history," the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Jordan's powerful Islamist opposition said on Saturday it would not join the reform-mandated government of prime minister-designate Awn Khasawneh, a decision reflecting its "pessimism."

"The executive offices of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Action Front (IAF) decided, after a joint meeting, to refuse to participate in the government," read a statement on the Brotherhood's website.

Thousands of Jordanian demonstrators on Friday urged prime minister-designate Awn Khasawneh to implement political change as the international judge prepares to announce his reform-mandated government.

"We are demonstrating today to emphasize public demands for reform and demand the new government introduce genuine reforms," Zaki Bani Rsheid, head of the opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF), told Agence France Presse.

Jordan's opposition Islamists urged Arab rulers to draw lessons from the death of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi, saying his demise heralded a new era in the region.

"The death of Gadhafi was the logical end of any tyrant," Zaki Bani Rsheid, head of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) political bureau, told Agence France Presse.

Jordan's prime minister-designate Awn Khasawneh is in talks with the opposition and is expected to announce his reform-mandated government at the weekend, a senior official said on Wednesday.

"Khasawneh began his meetings with the opposition. He is expected to present the composition of his government to King Abdullah II on Saturday," the official told Agence France Presse, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday pushed ahead with his political reform plans, appointing a new prime minister and intelligence chief after Maaruf Bakhit's government failed to meet growing calls for change.

The king named International Court of Justice judge Awn Khasawneh, 61, as prime minister, telling him that his government's "top priority is political reform."

King Abdullah II on Monday named International Court of Justice judge Awn Khasawneh as prime minister, replacing Maarouf al-Bakhit, whose government has been accused of failing to meet growing demands for reforms, a government official said.

"Khasawneh is currently meeting with the king, who entrusted him to form the new government," said the official who requested anonymity.

Unknown attackers hurled stones and fired shots to disperse participants at an anti-corruption conference in northern Jordan on Saturday, injuring at least 35 people, witnesses said.

The conference, entitled "For reforms and against corruption," was being held at Salhub, 50 kilometers from Amman, and attended mainly by members of the Bani Sakher and Bani Hassan tribes, they said.