NEW ZEALAND
Finance Minister Keeps Job Despite Shake-Up: New Zealand Finance Minister Ruth Richardson kept her job in a Cabinet shake-up announced by Prime Minister Jim Bolger. The reshuffle came amid opinion polls that show the ruling National Party lagging behind the opposition Labor Party in the days leading to national elections expected in October or November. The government’s unpopularity stems from discontent over deregulation of the economy, which has included cuts in welfare programs, the sale of major government-owned enterprises and reductions in the strength of labor unions.
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