Zanzibar president reshuffles cabinet

President of Zanzibar Aman Karume has made a major government reshuffle by re-naming six of his cabinet ministers, according to a Zanzibar State House statement reaching here on Friday.

The ministries that got new bosses were the State Chief Ministers Office, the State Constitution and Good Governance Ministry, the Local Administration Ministry, Communication and Transport Ministry, the Water, Energy, Construction and Land Ministry, and the Health and Social Welfare Ministry.

Ali Juma Shamuhuna is now the minister of the State Chief Ministers Office and Ahmed Hassan Diria is the minister of State Constitution and Good Governance, both are key cabinet posts.

But no reason was given by the Zanzibar State House to the move which is the first major government reshuffle since Karume came topower on the Indian Ocean archipelago in 2000.

Former minister of the state chief ministers office, Salem JumaOthman, now becomes minister of health and social welfare while former minister of state constitution and good governance, Adam Mwakanjuki, now serves as minister of communication and transport.

Zanzibar, forming part of the United Republic of Tanzania, has a full-length legislative and administrative mechanism of its own.

Tanzania is scheduled to hold its multiparty general elections in 2005, the third since 1995.

Source: Xinhua