Karim Ghellab becomes speaker

Former minister and Istiqlal Party member Karim Ghellab Rabat – Rachid Bougha Former minister and Istiqlal Party member Karim Ghellab has been appointed speaker of the Moroccan house of representatives.Karim Ghellab was elected MP for the second time in a row in Casablanca, and has held the post of Minister of Equipment for nine years in the two former governments, headed by Driss Jettou (Independent) and Abbas Fasi. As speaker of the house he becomes the third public figure in the Moroccan constitution after the Prime Minister.
The Moroccan cabinet, to be announced within the next few days, will include thirty ministers. Abdallah Baha is to be Minister of State, following the Royal Palace’s refusal to appoint him as Deputy Prime Minister and Abbas Fasi’s refusal to take on the post of Minister of State.
Morocco hopes that the appointment of new faces in senior positions will lead to major changes in the country.  The four parties signed a charter of good governance as a pre-requiste to forming a government.
Furthermore, the palace approved on restructuring the government by the Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, which includes 30 ministers, in five sectors (sovereign sector, productive sector, financial sector, social sector, and the media and culture sector).
Sources confirmed to ‘Arabstoday’ that the new government will include 12 ministries from the Moroccan Justice and Development Party, seven from Istiqlal Party, five from the movement, and four from the Democratic and Social Movement, the rest will be independents.