MANAMA, 11 January 2005 — A long-awaited reshuffle in Bahrain’s two-year-old Cabinet is expected to take place by today, a source told Arab News. “It will be a limited reshuffle that may involve three or four posts. It might include a second woman minister,” said one source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It will be the second change in the current government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al-Khalifa.
In April 2004, Dr. Nada Hafadh replaced Dr. Khalil Hassan as Health Minister. She was the first woman to be appointed a minister in Bahrain’s history.
A female teacher from the University of Bahrain will take up the newly created Ministry of Social Affairs.
“A couple of current ministers are expected to be appointed as ambassadors or advisers to the king and prime minister,” he said.
Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Al-Mutawa, Minister of Finance and National Economy Abdullah Saif, Minister of Information Nabeel Al-Hamer, and a state minister will be affected by the expected reshuffle. Another source said that the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Commerce will be merged, but the current Commerce Minister, Ali Saleh Al-Saleh, will remain in the government as minister of municipalities.
