Jordan's king okays major cabinet reshuffle

Amman- Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday issued a decree approving a major reshuffle of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi's cabinet which was formed 15 months ago, according to a royal court statement. The cabinet change was designed to ensure the ministerial group had more coherence and enable it to cope with new economic and political challenges that emerged recently as a result of the global financial crisis and the election of what is widely perceived in the Arab world as an extremist right-wing government in Israel, the statement said. The reshuffle involved 15 portfolios with 10 new ministers joining the cabinet while five ministers in the government were switched to other ministries. Among those leaving the government were Foreign Minister Salah Bashir, Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez and Finance Minister Hamad Kasasbeh. The foreign affairs portfolio was assigned to Nasser Judeh, who was Minister of State for Information Affairs and Communication in Dahabi's cabinet. Nayef Qadai was appointed Interior Minister, the same post he performed a decade ago. Bassem al-Salem, who was labour minister in the government, became finance minister. The editor-in-chief of al-Dustour daily newspaper, Nabil Sharif, was appointed Minister of State for Information Affairs and Communication. He will also serve as the government's official spokesman. Left-leaning Mussa Maaitah was appointed Minister for Political Development, a move indicating that the government was bent on pushing through political reforms, including drafting a new election law. However, the country's largest political party, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), has called for the total departure of Dahabi's cabinet saying it had failed to achieve the purported objectives, including the establishment of dialogue with Islamists and other opposition groupings. Ministers are usually chosen in Jordan by the king or the prime minister on the basis of professional capabilities and regional, personal or tribal affiliations due to the absence of a political party or a coalition of parties with a majority in the lower house of parliament.