The Cabinet change, which was approved by King Abdallah, came in the wake of the Nov. 9 parliamentary elections that produced an overwhelmingly pro-government lower house of Parliament.
The new Cabinet included 11 new ministers while nine ministers left the government.
Among those who were excluded was Interior Minister Nayef Qadi, who was succeeded by Saad Srour, house speaker for several years, who failed in the latest polls to win a seat in the 120-member chamber. Srour will also double as deputy prime minister.
Nasser Judeh retained his post as foreign minister in the new Cabinet. Also retaining their portfolios in the new Cabinet formation were Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour and Minister of State for Media Affairs Ali Ayed.
Ayman Safadi, a veteran journalist who worked as special adviser to King Abdallah over the past two years, was appointed deputy premier and minister of state.
In the new cabinet, Rifai sought to include ministers from all areas of the Kingdom in an effort to ensure that his government wins an easy confidence vote in the new lower house, which was elected mainly on the basis of tribal and family affiliations.
The elections were boycotted by the country’s main opposition party, the Islamic Action Front and its parent body, the Muslim Brotherhood movement, which insisted on a package of political reforms, including a new election law providing for a proportional representation system.
The absence of Islamists in the new House of Representatives will enable Rifai to ensure a comfortable majority for his Cabinet, observers said.
Due to the absence of well-organized political parties that team up to form coalition governments with parliamentary majority, the ministers are usually chosen by the king and the prime minister.
In his designation letter, King Abdallah ordered Rifai to go ahead with the political reform drive which he acknowledged faltered over the past few years. High on the agenda of the new Parliament will be a temporary election law, under which the latest elections were conducted.
The legislation has drawn sharp reactions from various political circles, including pro-government politicians, particularly after the declaration of the poll results which sparked riots across the country.
