Spain's Zapatero shakes up Cabinet

Madrid, Agency
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero embarked Wednesday on a major shakeup of his administration.
The overhaul is part of "a renewed effort to complete the economic and social reforms in progress and to accelerate the recovery of the economy and employment" over the remaining months of the 2008-2012 legislature, he told a press conference here.

"The course is set, but we need to run it to the end, and for that we need a renovated and politically reinforced government," Zapatero said.

Spain is implementing tough austerity measures to reduce its budget deficit even as the economy struggles to emerge from a recession that has pushed the unemployment rate to 20 percent.

Headlining the Cabinet shuffle is the promotion of Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba to deputy prime minister, replacing Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega in the post she has held since Zapatero took office in April 2004.

Rubalcaba headed two different ministries during the 1982-1996 Socialist administration of Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez and led the party's bloc in the lower house of Parliament from 2004-2006 before joining Zapatero's Cabinet.

His tenure at the interior ministry has been marked by numerous successful operations against the Basque terrorist group ETA, several of them carried out in close coordination with French and Portuguese security forces.

In the other big change, current Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez is to take over from Miguel Angel Moratinos as Spain's top diplomat.

Jimenez, 48, who served previously as secretary of state for relations with Latin America, will cede the health ministry to senior Socialist Party official Leire Pajin.

European Parliament member Ramon Jauregui is being recalled to Spain to serve as Zapatero's chief of staff, while the ministries of equality and housing - created by the premier in 2004 - have ceased to exist.

The shuffle leaves Economy Minister Elena Salgado, who is also second deputy prime minister, as the only remaining member of the Cabinet Zapatero named in April 2004.

With the next general election set for less than 18 months from now, opinion polls show the Socialists badly trailing the conservative main opposition Popular Party.