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new cabinet
Australia’s newly elected Prime Minister Tony Abbott has unveiled his new cabinet, calling it a highly experienced line-up.
The appointments broadly followed the line up while in opposition, but included a major promotion for finance.
As expected Julie Bishop became foreign minister – the only woman to be named to Tony Abbott’s frontbench.
Tony Abbott defeated outgoing Labor leader Kevin Rudd in a decisive election on September 7.
The prime minister-elect made the announcement on Monday, in his first news conference since the poll.
Tony Abbott has unveiled his new cabinet, calling it a highly experienced line-up
“It is, I believe, one of the most experienced incoming ministries in our history, and I think it’s important to have experience as you move from opposition to government,” Tony Abbott said.
West Australian Senator Mathias Cormann was named finance minister over Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos, a move seen as a major endorsement from Tony Abbott.
Mathias Cormann, who was born in Belgium and migrated to Australia in 1994, has been the Liberal-National coalition’s spokesman on treasury and financial services.
Asked about the lack of female appointees, Tony Abbott said he envisaged that changing.
“I think you can expect to see as time goes by more women in the cabinet and the ministry,” he said.
Tony Abbott nominated Bronwyn Bishop, another Liberal Party politician, to became speaker of parliament. Several women also received appointments to junior ministries.
Other appointments include Andrew Robb, the coalition’s spokesman for finance in opposition, who was named trade minister, and Joe Hockney, the coalition’s shadow treasurer, as treasurer.
Tony Abbott is expected to be formally sworn in on Wednesday.
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Hazem al-Beblawi, Egypt’s newly appointed prime minister, is beginning work on forming a new cabinet, a week after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi.
Hazem al-Beblawi is expected to offer posts to Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, although it has refused to co-operate with what it says it a coup.
The main liberal coalition has said it will not back the plan to hold fresh elections unless amendments are made.
The US said it was “cautiously encouraged” by the move towards reform.
Hazem al-Beblawi is beginning work on forming a new cabinet, a week after the army ousted President Mohamed Morsi
The timetable for new elections was announced by Interim President Adly Mansour on Monday evening, hours after at least 51 people – mostly Muslim Brotherhood members – were killed outside the military barracks in Cairo where Mohamed Morsi’s supporters believe he is in detention.
The decree laid out plans to set up a panel to amend the suspended Islamist-drafted constitution within 15 days.
The changes would then be put to a referendum – to be organized within four months – which would pave the way for parliamentary elections, possibly in early 2014.
Once the new parliament convenes, elections would be called to appoint a new president.
Late on Tuesday Ahmed el-Musalamani, spokesman for the interim president, said talks on a new cabinet would start on Wednesday.
He said posts would be offered to the Brotherhood’s political wing the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) – which won Egypt’s first free elections in 2012 – and to the ultraconservative Salafist Nour party.
However the proposals were widely rejected by both Islamist and liberal parties.
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President Giorgio Napolitano has asked a select group of people to offer a policy platform to end the impasse in forming a new government in Italy.
Giorgio Napolitano named 10 “wise men” to work in two separate groups.
The president’s announcement ended speculation that he might resign – a day after political parties failed to agree a coalition government following February’s inconclusive election.
Giorgio Napolitano said he would serve out his mandate that ends on May 15.
Giorgio Napolitano named 10 “wise men” to work in two separate groups to end the impasse in forming a new government in Italy
Italy has been governed by a group of technocrats led by Mario Monti since late 2011 – when centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi resigned in the middle of an acute economic crisis.
Giorgio Napolitano said that Mario Monti’s caretaker cabinet was still “operational” and “in charge”.
However, the continuing political stalemate is delaying reforms that could help revive Italy’s recession-hit, debt-laden economy.
Giorgio Napolitano finished consultations with Italy’s main political leaders on Friday.
In the absence of agreement, he said he asked “two small groups of personalities” to formulate “precise programme proposals” that could be supported by political parties – and serve as a basis for a new cabinet.
The first group will be asked to work on pressing political and institutional issues, while the second will focus on economic and social problems.
Among the 10 “wise men” are Enrico Giovannini, head of Italy’s Istat statistics agency, European Affairs Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Bank of Italy deputy director Salvatore Rossi and Valerio Onida, a former judge on the country’s constitutional court.
“I want to underline one more time the need for all political parties to demonstrate their full awareness of the gravity and urgency of the problems facing the country,” Giorgio Napolitano said.
Italy’s parliament is currently split in three main blocs – each without enough seats to govern alone.
Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-left coalition won the most votes in the February election, but failed to secure a majority in both houses of parliament.
The bloc has ruled out an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right alliance, which finished a close second.
The protest group Five Stars Movement led by former comedian Beppe Grillo garnered a quarter of the vote, but has refused to support either group.
Italy’s 10 “Wise Men”:
- Political and institutional reform group
- Prof. Valerio Onida – University of Milan constitutional law expert
- Luciano Volante – former parliament speaker from Pier Luigi Bersani’s party
- Mario Mauro – senator in Mario Monti’s party
- Gaetano Quagliariello – senator in Silvio Berlusconi’s party
- Economic and social reform group
- Prof. Enrico Giovannini – statistics agency head
- Giovanni Pitruzzella – Competition Authority head
- Salvatore Rossi – Bank of Italy deputy head
- Enzo Moavero Milanesi – European Affairs minister
5-6. Giancarlo Giorgetti and Filippo Bubbico – parliament commission heads
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Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano has said he will ask a select group of people to offer a policy platform to try to end the impasse in forming a new government.
Giorgio Napolitano said the names would be released later on Saturday.
The president’s announcement ended speculation that he might resign – a day after political parties failed to agree a coalition government following February’s inconclusive election.
Giorgio Napolitano said he would serve out his mandate that ends on May 15.
Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano has said he will ask a select group of people to offer a policy platform to try to end the impasse in forming a new government
Italy has been governed by a group of technocrats led by Mario Monti since late 2011 – when centre-right leader Silvio Berlusconi resigned in the middle of an acute economic crisis.
President Napolitano said that Mario Monti’s caretaker cabinet was still “operational” and “in charge”.
However, the continuing political stalemate is delaying reforms that could help revive Italy’s recession-hit, debt-laden economy.
Giorgio Napolitano finished consultations with Italy’s main political leaders on Friday.
In the absence of agreement, Italian analysts had said Giorgio Napolitano was contemplating quitting to enable a successor to try to form a new cabinet or dissolve parliament and call new elections.
However, Giorgio Napolitano said he planned to stay on “to the end”.
He was, instead, going to ask “two small groups of personalities” to formulate “precise programme proposals” that could be supported by political parties – and serve as a basis for a new cabinet.
“I want to underline one more time the need for all political parties to demonstrate their full awareness of the gravity and urgency of the problems facing the country,” Giorgio Napolitano said.
There has been talk of the possibility of the president ultimately seeking to form a temporary, technocrat-style administration.
Italy’s parliament is currently split in three main blocs – each without enough seats to govern alone.
Pier Luigi Bersani’s centre-left coalition won the most votes in the February election, but failed to secure a majority in both houses of parliament.
The bloc has ruled out an alliance with Silvio Berlusconi’s centre-right alliance, which finished a close second.
The protest group Five Stars Movement led by former comedian Beppe Grillo garnered a quarter of the vote, but has refused to support either group.
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