Courtney Menzies has this story from the capital.

The metaphorical Cabinet cake was cut up and shared out over the weekend, and today, the new ministers and ministers of state were sworn-in at the Governor General's residence. While the ministries are relatively similar to the Briceno Administration's first term, the major changes happened with the ministers themselves.

Perhaps the most glaring is that both Rodwell Ferguson and Dolores Balderamos Garcia were moved from ministers to ministers of state, both in the Office of the Prime Minister. Francis Fonseca retains Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, as well as Culture, which means that there's a new Minister of Education - Oscar Requena. The previous Education Minister of State, Dr Louis Zabaneh was given Indigenous Constitution, Religious Affairs, and Transport.

The newcomers also have new portfolios, but while Devin Daly was made Minister of State in Youth and Sports, Thea Garcia Ramirez takes over her aunt's ministry, which is now named Human Development, Family Support, and Gender Affairs.

When asked about his process of reconfiguration, the PM says it's a difficult one.

John Briceno, Prime Minister
"To me one of the most difficult things was Ramon Cervantes, Monchi Cervantes, very highly qualified person and I would love to put him in Cabinet but the problem is, we already have 3 ministers from Orange Walk and if I do that then I could potentially get into some kind trouble because my other colleagues will say why only concentrate on Orange Walk and when you become the prime minister, it's the prime minister for the entire country. So it's a tough process and lots of thought goes into it, long hours, a little bit of consultations but at the end of the day, it's on me. I as the leader of the party and as the prime minister, thanks to my colleagues, I am the one that tries to find the right fit when setting up this Cabinet."

But if you ask the ministers themselves - much like they're reading off a script - they'll tell you the assignments are the prerogative of the prime minister, and they're happy to serve wherever.

Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, & Logistics
"I'm glad to be here, I think it's a good fit for me. We have started a lot of work in this area and I'm glad that I get the opportunity to continue the work we started."

Courtney Menzies:
"What do you make of no longer having e-governance and that it moved over to the PM's ministry?"

Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, & Logistics
"You know the portfolios are determined by the prime minister, he has the ultimate decision. It is an area where we did a lot of work, as you know, we did a lot of work with the vital statistics, national ID and so on, but it is in great hands with the prime minister."

Reporter:
"What do you make of the appointment with the minister of state, what do you believe the value is that Mr Gilroy Usher can add to this ministry and do you see yourselves working together in an amicable way?"

Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, & Logistics
"I don't see why not. I think Mr Usher is a really nice gentleman and he brings a different perspective to the table, one that is welcomed and I think he is going to bring a lot of benefits to us and I welcome his partnership."

Reporter:
"Do you think the prime minister threw him on you because he couldn't find a place to fit him?"

Michel Chebat, Minister of Public Utilities, Energy, & Logistics
"No no no, man, we're not going down that road, I don't think so. Mr Usher is a really decent fellow and I'm happy to be able to work along with him."

Thea Garcia Ramirez, Minister of Human Dev., Family Support, & Gender Affairs
"I am humbled, I am honored to have been chosen by the PM for this huge responsibility. I feel like I am up to the task, I am going to lean heavily on Minister, the Honorable Dolores Balderamos Garcia. She has an infinite amount of knowledge and energy and passion for the ministry. I like to say she is that ministry and so I will definitely need her support, her assistance and again I have the special envoy who is ready to hit the ground running with me and work closely together with me and so I feel that there is a lot of work to continue to do in this second term for the Briceno Administration and I am going straight over to the ministry to see what needs to get done and to be able to continue the work."

Oscar Requena, Minister of Education, Science, & Technology
"I want to say that I spend 24 years in education before venturing into the field of politics so I served from a primary school teacher to a principal, a curriculum officer, and then a district education manager. So I feel that over the last 24 years that I served in education. I have learnt a lot. I feel that I come prepared. Certainly I will make use of professionals and other people in the field of education to support the work that we do at the Ministry of Education. So it's an honor."

"There is no doubt that Minister Fonseca is going to brief me on what projects are in the pipeline, he's certainly going to brief me on the vision, the mission, the goals, and objectives of the ministry and I'm going to meet with him and the rest of the management team moving forward."

And with 17 ministers and 9 ministers of state, every elected representative in the government has a portfolio of their own.

According to the PM, the CEO assignments will be announced either tomorrow or Wednesday, but most of them are expected to remain the same.