Zapatero begins second term with more women than men in cabinet

By Dave Jamieson
JOSE LUIS Rodriguez Zapatero was sworn into office for his second term as Spain's prime minister on Saturday and announced a cabinet composed of more women than men. It also includes the country's youngest-ever minister.Prime Minister Zapatero's PSOE socialist party fell seven seats short of an absolute majority in last month's general election and it took a second vote in Congress last Friday before his return to office was confirmed. On Saturday, he was sworn in in the presence of King Juan Carlos.There are nine women and eight men in the new cabinet, and it is the first time a woman has held the post of Minister of Defence; the former minister for housing Carme Chacón, a 37-year-old Catalan who is presently more than seven months pregnant, takes over the role from José Antonio Alonso who leaves the cabinet to become the socialists' spokesman in Congress. María Teresa Fernández de la Vega remains as deputy prime minister while Pedro Solbes, now 65, retains the second deputy prime minister title as well as head of the Tax and the Economy Ministry. Málaga's Magdalena Álvarez remains as Development Minister.

Five new faces
Among the five new faces around the cabinet table will be Bibiana Aído from Cádiz who, at 31, is Spain's youngest-ever minister and takes on Equality and Social Services. She is joined by Celestino Corbacho at Work and Immigration, while Beatriz Corredor becomes minister of housing. Miguel Sebastián, a former chief economic minister and close friend of the prime minister, finds himself at Industry, Tourism and Commerce. Commentators have noted that he is the first minister responsible for energy in more than ten years not to come from Cataluña which, they say, means he may not look favourably on a rumoured merger between the region's Gas Natural and the country's largest utility, Iberdrola.The prime minister stressed the importance of his new Science and Innovation Ministry. This is headed by the fifth newcomer, Cristina Garmendia, and is designed to reduce Spain's dependence on construction and to encourage hi-tech industries. The move is intended to address Spain's low productivity rate, one of the worst in the eurozone; last Wednesday the IMF estimated the country's economic growth this year would be just 1.8 per cent, less than half last year's growth. In addition, the National Statistic Institute issued figures last Friday showing inflation was at its highest rate for 11 years; the annual figure to March was 46. per cent up from 4.4 per cent in February.