LIBREVILLE, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- A new and slimmed-down administration was formed in Gabon on Saturday, as announced in a presidential decree via television by Secretary General of the Gabonese Presidency Francois Engongah Owono.

Headed by Prime Minister Paul Biyoghe Mba, the new cabinet is composed of 30 ministers, 14 less compared with the last administration.

With 18 new faces, the Gabonese government has on one hand canceled the positions of vice prime minister and minister of state, and on the other hand merged several ministerial posts.

Paul Toungui and Jean Francois Ndongou remained Foreign Minister and Interior Minister respectively while Angelique Ngoma was transferred as the new defense minister who was the minister of family in the previous administration. No names of the opposition parties appeared on the list of cabinet members.

President-elect of the Gabonese Republic Ali Ben Bongo was sworn in as the third president of the central African country on Friday.