Jordan’s prime minister Ali Abul Ragheb is widely expected to reshuffle his 10-month-old Cabinet this week, in a move that analysts say will herald a larger spring cleaning and re-organization in other administrative and decision making bodies, the Jordan Times reported Sunday.
According to the paper, politicians and observers believe that the reshuffle, is likely to involve some 10 portfolios, and it is expected to be followed by a change of guard at the mayorship of Amman and the arrival of new faces in the Royally-appointed Economic Consultative Council (ECC).
Abul Ragheb, who returned to Amman on Saturday after accompanying His Majesty King Abdullah on a 10-day official visit to the US, is tipped to appoint at least one woman as a new minister and to trim his 27-member team.
Speculations on the reshuffle have been floating in Amman's political salons for some weeks but, while observers were almost unanimous on which ministers would go, predictions on the eventual newcomers greatly differed, it added.
The prime minister himself indicated the likelihood of a reshuffle in an interview with senior journalists on Jordan Television on the eve of the March 27th-28th Amman Arab summit.
“If a reshuffle is necessary, it will be in the interest of the government itself as well as the interest of the general public [to proceed with it],” Abul Ragheb said – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
