By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 7 October:
After much speculation and anticipation over the weekend, prime minister elect Mustafa Abushagur finally announced his amended cabinet today evening to Libya’s General National Congress (GNC).
Abushagur finally made his way to the podium at the GNC to read out his new cabinet just before 5 pm today , after the (unofficial) rejection of his first cabinet last Thursday.
He announced at the outset that he had decided in view of the crises that Libya is potentially facing he had chosen to appoint only 10 ministers (plus a deputy minister and prime minister).
Abushagur persisted in keeping the portfolio of Foreign Minister for himself despite the criticism he had received for this move last Thursday. He declared that he was unable to contact all those that he had in mind for this post and that he would hold the post on a temporary basis.
Prime Minister elect Abushagur announced that the remaining ministries will be run as authorities by the Deputy Prime Minister’s office in the short term until the situation in Libya became more stable.
He appealed to the GNC to rise above their differences and put the national interest of Libya first in view of all the potential hotspots facing the nation at this time.
However, he refused to back down on his principle of not appointing a cabinet based on geographical distribution, as he said he had been pressured to do by members of the GNC.
The list of Abushagur’s cabinet:
1- Mustafa Abushagur – Prime Minister
2- Mustafa Abushagur – Foreign Minister (temporary)
3- Haramain al Haramain – Deputy Minister
4- Abdulsalam Salheen – Defence Minister
5- Ashour Shwayel – Interior Minister
6- Omar Khrebeesh – Justice Minister
7- Ibrahim Bhaih – Health Minister
8- Mohamed Hariri – Local Government Minister
9- Ali Hibry – Finance and Economy Minister
10- Sulieman Sahly – Education Minister
11- Salah Shmela- Housing and Public Works Ministers
12- Ahmed Safar – Employment and HR Minister [/restrict]
