10 Jan 2012

Marshalls President announces Cabinet

8:54 am on 10 January 2012

The newly elected Marshall Islands President Christopher Loeak has announced his Cabinet, naming 10 senators including three who are in their first week in elective office.

Veteran politicians Tony deBrum and Phillip Muller were named Minister in Assistance to the President and Foreign Minister, respectively.

DeBrum has been a foreign, finance, and health minister in earlier governments, while most recently Muller was the country's United Nations ambassador.

The deal that brought together the opposition group led by President Loeak and a smaller group led by former President Kessai Note provided Note's group with the two top posts in parliament, which went to Speaker Donald Capelle and Vice Speaker Tomaki Juda, and two Cabinet positions.

Hilda Heine, the only person in the Marshall Islands who holds a PhD - and the only woman in the 33-seat parliament - is the new Minister of Education.