Egypt’s prime minister reshuffles cabinet in response to protests

Essam Sharaf sacks ministers of finance, industry and foreign affairs amid claims he does not have the power to hire and fire Egypt’s embattled prime minister, Essam Sharaf, fired several of his top ministers on Sunday in the latest attempt to end mass nationwide protests against his government’s slow pace of reform. The ministers of finance, industry and foreign affairs all followed in the footsteps of Sharaf’s deputy, Yehia el-Gamal, who stepped down last week amid demonstrations that have called the legitimacy of Egypt’s ruling military generals into question. Protesters have demanded that the interim cabinet be purged of all politicians linked to the Mubarak regime. They are also insisting that the executive power of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf), which has controlled Egypt since February but is accused by many of deliberately stifling revolutionary progress, be curbed. Sharaf, who is under pressure to resign from many of his former supporters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, has been locked in negotiations for days over the details of his reshuffle – a sign, according to analysts, of a power struggle behind the scenes between Scaf and the relatively impotent civilian government. In a further indication of division, a senior military official told local news sources that Sharaf was not entitled to appoint or dismiss ministers under the interim constitution. Major General Hassan al-Ruweiny said Scaf had “sole authority” over cabinet personnel – a statement likely to infuriate protesters, who have already drawn comparisons between recent public statements by Scaf and the rhetoric deployed by Mubarak’s regime. Among those leaving the cabinet is Mohamed el-Orabi, appointed foreign minister less than three weeks ago. He said he was stepping down to “honour the will of the people” after protesters charged him with being a long-time supporter of Mubarak’s rule. Joining the cabinet are two new deputies: the veteran economist Hazem Beblawi, who will take up the finance portfolio, and Ali al-Selmy, a leader of the liberal Wafd party who has been asked to oversee social reforms. The appointment of Selmy has instantly met with criticism in some quarters owing to Wafd’s initial lukewarm support for the revolution and Selmy’s record as deputy president of Cairo University, where he was accused of using state security agents to suppress teachers’ demands. Sharaf is expected to replace up to 15 ministers in the reshuffle. But his changes remain dependent on approval from Scaf, and attention will now turn to the fate of the interior minister, Mansour el-Essawy, and the justice minister, Mohamed al-Guindy, both of whom are unpopular among protesters but appear to have the support of military generals. The full lineup of the new government will be unveiled on Monday. Egypt Hosni Mubarak Arab and Middle East unrest Protest Jack Shenker guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.