EGYPTIAN
INTERIM PRESIDENT ASKS IBRAHIM MEHLAB TO FORM NEW GOVT.
Outgoing housing minister Ibrahim
Mahlab, a former official in the deposed Hosni Mubarak government, was
today named as Egypt's new prime minister, a day after the military-backed
cabinet resigned unexpectedly.
Mahlab said he was "officially tasked with
forming a new government" by interim president Adly
Mansour, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website.
He said he would immediately start consultations on the appointment of a new
cabinet. Mahlab, who resigned as housing minister on Monday, was a member of
the National Democratic Party of Mubarak, whose 30-year reign came to an end
with the 2011 popular uprising.
Now in his sixties, Mahlab is a civil engineer who formerly served as chairman
and chief executive of the Arab Contractors Company, a large Egyptian civil
engineering firm. Egypt's military-installed interim government led by Prime
Minister Hazem El-Beblawi resigned in a
surprise move ahead of presidential polls that may bring the country's powerful
army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi
to power.
Beblawi announced the decision after a cabinet meeting attended by Sisi, also
the Defence Minister.
Beblawi gave no particular reason for the Cabinet's resignation, but it comes
amid a series of strikes, including one by public sector workers. Sisi is
widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
He has not yet announced his candidacy but media reports said he has decided to
run and will make an announcement soon.
Sisi, who ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July, is required to
resign from the government and the army before he can officially announce his
presidential bid.
A reshuffle to allow Sisi to step aside was on the cards but the mass
resignation of the entire cabinet caught everyone by surprise including
officials.
No comments:
Post a Comment