Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who declared his last cabinet "the worst in history," reappointed many of its members to a new power-sharing government that is due to be sworn in later Friday.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper reported that 20 of Mugabe's 21 choices for minister and deputy ministers were members of the last cabinet, which Mugabe had acknowledged last year as dire.

The list includes such controversial figures as Emmerson Mnangagwa, head of the Joint Operations Command security cabinet that directed last year's post-election violence against the victorious Movement for Democratic Change of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Hardline former lands minister Didymus Mutasa, who once declared Zimbabwe would be "better off with only six million people," -or the half the population that supported Mugabe - also makes a comeback.

The Herald did not say which minister obtained which portfolio.

The MDC, which will be making its debut in government, announced its nominations to the 31-ministry cabinet earlier this week.

Fourteen ministers have been drawn from Tsvangirai's MDC larger faction, 15 from Mugabe's Zanu-PF and 3 from a breakaway MDC faction led by robotics professor Arthur Mutambara.

The number of ministers exceed the number of ministries by one because the MDC and Zanu-PF have agreed to "co-minister" home affairs, which controls the police.

Friday's ceremony at State House in Harare, where Tsvangirai was memorably sworn Wednesday as prime minister by Mugabe, concludes the formation of the government.

Zimbabweans are counting on the new administration to bring about change in a country that is reeling from world-record inflation, severe food, fuel and cash shortages, and raging HIV and cholera epidemics.

But analysts warn that the MDC's ability to effect change is hampered by the skewed sharing of power. Mugabe remains head of state and government, while Tsvangirai's role will be to formulate and implement policy.

Zanu-PF retains most of the key ministries such as defence, state security and information, while MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti gains the unenviable post of finance minister.