José Luis Rodríguez, who was elected government president at yesterday's second investiture ballot, is set to confirm the make-up of his new cabinet later today.

If yesterday's leaked reports are to be believed, there will be more female ministers than male for the first time in modern Spanish democratic history, and former Housing minister, Carme Chacón, who is expecting her first child this summer, is set to become the first ever female minister of Defence.

Only four previous ministers have dropped out of the cabinet - Jesús Caldera (Employment and Social Affairs), Cristina Narbona (Environment), Joan Clos (Industry) and José Antonio Alonso (Defence).

Eleven ministers continue in their posts, though there is some doubt about the future of Interior minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who, being a trained chemist, is keen to head up Innovation, one of two new ministries created - the other being Equality.

There will be no Environment ministry with these responsibilities now falling within the remit of incumbent Agriculture minister, Elena Espinosa.

The photo shows Mr Zapatero being congratulated by PP opposition leader Mariano Rajoy at the end of yesterday's parliamentary session.

Vicepresident: María Teresa Fernández de la Vega CONTINUES

Vicepresident and Economy: Pedro Solbes CONTINUES

Culture: César Antonio Molina CONTINUES

Health: Bernat Soria CONTINUES

Defence: Carme Chacón CHANGE

Development: Magdalena Álvarez CONTINUES

Employment: Celestino Corbacho NEW

Foreign Affairs: Miguel Ángel Moratinos CONTINUES

Housing: Beatriz Corredor NEW

Industry: Miguel Sebastián NEW

Agriculture and Environment: Elena Espinosa CONTINUES

Public Administration: Elena Salgado CONTINUES

Justice: Mariano Fernández Bermejo CONTINUES

Education and Social Affairs: Mercedes Cabrera CONTINUES

Interior: Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba CONTINUES

Equality: Bibiana Aído NEW

Innovation: Cristina Garmendia NEW

Like Bono, Zapatero requires second investiture ballot
By: thinkSPAIN
Thursday, April 10, 2008

As expected, socialist leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero failed to achieve the absolute majority required in a first-round investiture ballot and will have to wait until Friday's second vote when the votes of his own MPs will be sufficient to enable him to form a government.

As a consequence of the party's decision not to form permanent pacts with minority radical left-wing and nationalist parties, former Defence minister José Bono also had to wait until a second ballot to be elected as parliamentary president last week.

This is only the second time since the Franco era that a government president has required a second ballot though the circumstances surrounding the first occasion were rather different. Following the resignation of president Adolfo Suárez in 1981, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo also failed to be elected to office on the first round of voting.

It was during the second round of voting - on February 23rd - that Guardia Civil Lt. Colonel Antonio Tejero burst into the chamber, signalling the start of the notorious failed military coup.

Mr Calvo-Sotelo achieved a sufficient majority when the second vote was re-held two days after, on February 25th.

For more information about the failed coup, follow the link below:

http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/9830/25-years-on-the-failed-military-coup-23-f-1981

At the end of yesterday's parliamentary session, Mr Zapatero said that he would confirm the composition of his new cabinet on Saturday after being sworn in by King Juan Carlos at the Zarzuela Palace.