Third Qurei Government

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Third Qurei Government
Date formed24 February 2005
Date dissolvedMarch 2006
People and organisations
PresidentMahmoud Abbas
Prime MinisterAhmed Qurei
No. of ministers24
History
PredecessorSecond Qurei Government
SuccessorFirst Haniyeh Government

The Palestinian Authority Government of February 2005 was a government of the Palestinian National Authority (PA) which existed from 24 February 2005 to March 2006. It was headed by Ahmed Qurei and composed of 24 ministers. The cabinet was dominated by technocrat professional appointees, nearly half of them with doctoral

The Palestinian Authority Government of February 2005 was a government of the Palestinian National Authority (PA) which existed from 24 February 2005 to March 2006. It was headed by Ahmed Qurei and composed of 24 ministers. The cabinet was dominated by technocrat professional appointees, nearly half of them with doctoral degrees. A large part of the Government was Fatah affiliated. The Government was approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council by a 54-12 vote, with four abstentions. It was succeeded by the Hamas-led Government of March 2006.

Background[edit]

Pursuant to the Oslo Accords, the authority of the PA Government is limited to some civil rights of the Palestinians in the West Bank Areas A and B and in the Gaza Strip, and to internal security in Area A and in Gaza.

In January 2005, Mahmoud Abbas was elected the new President, following the death of Yasser Arafat. Abbas asked the incumbent Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei to continue in his post and form a new cabinet.

In March 2005, twelve Palestinian factions agreed on the Palestinian Cairo Declaration, which besides other things proposed that Hamas and Islamic Jihad join the Palestinian Liberation Organisation.

Formation[edit]

In February 2005, News Agency WAFA published a list of members of the new government to be presented in the Palestinian Legislative Council for a vote of confidence. Fatah legislators had agreed to vote in favor of the government on 21 February.[1] Due to repeated demands by Fatah officials and PLC members to make the new cabinet more reform-minded, however, the vote of confidence was repeatedly delayed.[2] It was finally passed on 24 February, after Qurei had revised the list of ministers to accommodate these demands.

The Government was approved in Parliament by a 54-12 vote, with four abstentions (at the time, the PLC had 88 seats).[3] It was headed again by Ahmed Qurei, and composed of 24 ministers. It was a technocrats cabinet dominated by professional appointees, nearly half of them with doctoral degrees. A large part of the Government was Fatah affiliated.[4]

Timeline[edit]

On 15 December 2005, Qurei briefly resigned his Prime Minister post to run for a seat in the Palestinian Parliament in the January 2006 elections, but returned to office nine days later after deciding not to run.

On 26 January 2006, Qurei announced his intention to resign following the Fatah party's defeat by Hamas in the parliamentary elections.[5] At the request of PNA President, Mahmoud Abbas, Qurei remained in office in a caretaker capacity until a successor was named.

Members of the Government[edit]

February 2005 to March 2006 [4]

Minister Office Party
1 Ahmed Qurei Prime Minister Fatah
2 Nabil Shaath Deputy Prime Minister, Information Fatah
3 Salam Fayyad Finance * Independent
4 Nasser Yousef Interior and National Security [6] ** Fatah
5 Nasser al-Kidwa Foreign Affairs Fatah
6 Mohammed Dahlan Civil Affairs Fatah
7 Mazan Sunnoqrot Economy Independent
8 Walid Abed Rabbu Agriculture Independent
9 Naim Abu Hummous Education and Higher Education Fatah
10 Thihni al-Waheidi Health Independent
11 Mohammed Ishtayeh Housing and Public Works Fatah
12 Farid Jalad Justice Independent
13 Hassan abu Libdeh Labour, Social Affairs Fatah
14 Ghassan al-Khatib Planning PPP
15 Ziad Bandak Tourism Independent
16 Sayed al-Din Khurma Transport Independent
17 Khalid al- Qawasimi Local Government
18 Sufian Abu Zaida Prisoner Affairs Fatah
19 Yusuf Jum'ah Salamah Religious Affairs Independent
20 Sabri Saydam Telecommunications, Technology Independent
21 Zahira Kamal Women’s Affairs FIDA
22 Hind Khoury Minister without Portfolio
23 Ahmed Majdalani Minister without Portfolio PPSF
* Until November 2005, when Salam Fayyad resigned from the cabinet to run as leader of his new political party the Third Way[7]

** In April 2005, the responsibilities of Interior Minister were expanded with National Security forces and General Intelligence [8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The proposed list: Qurei: `“Security, reforms and elections are priorities" Archived 2016-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. IMEMC, 21 February 2005
  2. ^ Palestinians to hold thrice-delayed vote on cabinet. Agencies/China Daily, 24 February 2005
  3. ^ New Palestinian Cabinet Sworn In. CBS/AP, 24 February 2005
  4. ^ a b Current Palestinian Government Structure (Factsheet). MIFTAH, 3 December 2005
  5. ^ Palestinian PM to quit after poll. BBC, 26 January 2006
  6. ^ Friedrich et al., p.53 (2007)
  7. ^ Profile: Salam Fayyad. BBC, 17 June 2007
  8. ^ Abbas orders consolidation of competing security forces Archived 2016-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. AP, 15 April 2005
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