Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero reshuffled his cabinet Friday eight months ahead of the general elections, replacing four ministers, according to dpa. Elena Salgado, who had held the health portfolZ ecame public administrations minister, replacing Jordi Sevilla. Molecular biology investigator Bernat Soria took over from Salgado as health minister. Cesar Antonio Molina was appointed culture minister in place of Carmen Calvo. Molina is the director of the Cervantes Institute, which seeks to promote Spanish language and culture in the world. Parliament vice-president Carme Chacon became housing minister, replacing Maria Antonia Trujillo. The youngest minister in the Zapatero government at age 36, Chacon will be in charge of a difficult portfolio as Spain suffers from a housing shortage despite a corruption-fuelled construction boom in tourist areas. Zapatero justified the reshuffle by saying he wanted to fully honour his electoral pledges and to prepare plans for the next legislature. The government wanted to "give a new push" to its work in view of the elections, Socialist Party representative Jose Blanco said. Zapatero announced the reshuffle one day after his state of the nation address and the following three-day debate. Conservative opposition leader Mariano Rajoy described the reshuffle as an "irrelevant" and "cosmetic operation" in a "structurally WVk" government. The conservatives took more votes than the Socialists in the local and regional elections held six weeks ago. The reshuffle reduced the number of women in what was initially Spain's first government containing equal numbers of men and women. Men now hold nine portfolios, two more than women. The new cabinet does, however, meet Spain's new equality rules, which force political parties to give at least 40 per cent of candidacies to women. The reshuffle was the fourth and biggest one since Zapatero took office in April 2004.
