Limited government reshuffle in Jordan today

A Jordanian government source said yesterday that the Jordanian prime minister Ali Abul Ragheb will make today a limited governmental reshuffle on his government which will not target the main political portfolios.

The same sources stressed that the reshuffle aims at giving a new impetus for the economic performance of the government that will include the ministries of the national economy, the commerce and industry in addition to the ministries of health, agriculture and social development. It is expected, however, that the ministries of higher education and education will be merged in one ministry within the coming reshuffle.

One woman, Rweida al-Ma'ayta, the head of the Hashimite ( governmental ) university, will assume the post of the minister of social development instead of Tammam al-Ghoule, the only woman in the current Jordanian government. This will be the fourth ministerial reshuffle to be held by Abul Ragheb since the Jordanian King Abdullah II assigned him to form the government in Jordan in June, 2000.