New Zealand PM-elect announces cabinet line-up
17/11/2008 17:34
New Zealand Prime Minister- elect John Key today announced a 20-strong
cabinet and three other ministerial positions after he cut deals yesterday that
secured a strong majority for his National party-led government.
The list
includes first-time ministers Simon Power (justice), Anne Tolley (education) and
Chris Finlayson (treaty negotiations).
Gerry Brownlee takes the energy
portfolio, Tony Ryall the health portfolio, Nick Smith the environment, Tim
Groser trade and Murray McCully foreign affairs.
Key will act as tourism
minister while his deputy Bill English will be finance minister.
National's
most senior MP Lockwood Smith becomes the Parliament ' s next
speaker.
Yesterday, Key handed out five ministerial positions outside Cabinet
to National party's support partners.
Through those agreements with Act
Party, the Maori Party and United Future Party, Key has ensured he will have 70
confidence votes in the 122-member Parliament.
Pita Sharples will be Maori
Affairs Minister and Tariana Turia, co-leader pf the Maori Party, will be in
charge of the community and voluntary sector. They will both also hold associate
portfolios.
Act Party leader Rodney Hide takes local government and the new
portfolio of regulatory reform, while his deputy Heather Roy picks up consumer
affairs and associate education and defense roles.
United Future party leader
Peter Dunne retains the revenue and associate health ministerial roles he had
under the Labor-led Government.
The total size of Key's executive is 28, the
same as the previous Labor-led government's after the 2005 election.
The
Cabinet and ministers outside it are due to be sworn in on Wednesday and Key
will fly out on Thursday to attend the APEC leaders meeting summit in
Peru.
The New Zealand Parliament is expected to be recalled on Dec. 8 to sit
for two weeks.
New Zealand held general elections on Nov. 8. The National
party, led by John Key, defeated the Labor party.
Xinhua
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