Abdullah II’s speech was delivered on Sunday to lawmakers elected last month.
Government officials say that this legislature will have more power than any of its predecessors, in line with a reform process meant to forestall any large-scale Arab Spring unrest.
But the January 23 polls were boycotted by the best organized opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, and yielded a body dominated by inexperienced independents.
An official said that the king wanted to avoid “political chaos.”
He spoke anonymously as he couldn’t comment publicly on a matter considered a royal prerogative.