Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy names his presidential team

Mohamed Morsy, Egypt's President

Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy appointed the members of his presidential team on Monday, 27 August. His official spokesperson Yasser Ali revealed the list of names of President’s assistants and advisors tasked with aiding and consulting Egypt’s first freely and democratically elected president.

According to Yasser Ali, the team will include six Muslim Brotherhood figures. There are two members of Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, which considers being the entity separate from Muslim Brotherhood’s political wing Freedom and Justice Party (FJP). Another two team’s members representing Islamists forces are from Salafist Al-Nour Party.

The Presidential team consists of four assistants and seventeen consultants.

The four assistants of President will be given the offices at the Presidential Palace and are tasked with advising Mohamed Morsy. Here is the list of the names of President’s assistants:

Samir Morcos Abdel Meseih. He is responsible for the democratic transition life. Samir Morcos is a Coptic writer and thinker, much respected person among Egyptians.

Pakinam Al-Sharqawy, who is a political science professor in Cairo University, allegedly close to Muslim Brotherhood and will be President’s assistant for political issues.

Emad Abdel-Ghafour. He is the head of Salafist Al-Nour Party and will be President’s assistant for social communication and national dialogue.

Essam Ahmed El-Hadad. He is a prominent Muslim Brotherhood member and member of Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Bureau. His task in the presidential team will be foreign affairs and international cooperation. He is a physician, currently responsible for international branch in Muslim Brotherhood. He was also a manager of Mohamed Morsy presidential campaign and head of the foreign relations in FJP.

Thus, the advisory team includes one representative of Muslim Brotherhood, one member of Salafist party, one woman, also from Islamist forces, and one prominent Christian. It’s worth mentioning that after Mohamed Morsy was sworn in as Egypt’s new President he promised that he will appoint one Christian and one woman as his advisors in the presidential team.

The presidential team also includes seventeen consultants from various public figures and representatives of different political forces. The will hold the regular meeting with Mohamed Morsy and will have the consultative role. Here is the list of their names:

Ahmed Mohamed Omran. He is reportedly professor of computers in the university in Fayum, allegedly Salafist.

Omaima Kamel. She is a member of Muslim Brotherhood, FJP and Constituent Assembly. She is physician, former MP of later dissolved Parliament and was a spokesperson of the women’s rights affairs in presidential campaign of Morsy.

Ayman Ahmed Ali. He is a physician and Muslim Brotherhood member.

Ayman Amin El-Sayad. He is a veteran and pro-revolutionary journalist, editor-in-chief of Waghat Nazar magazine, which is one of the most important magazines in Arab World. He is also consultant to some media forums in Middle East and has moderate, liberal political views, though some consider him being close to the leftist or nationalist views. Ayman El-Sayad is a very respectful person in Egypt.

Bassem Hossaneen El-Rezqa. He is a member of Salafist Al-Nour party and its high committee, also former MP and member of the Constituent Assembly.

Hussein Mohamed El-Qazaz. He is a Muslim Brotherhood member and its economic consultant and a businessman.

Khaled Alam El-Deen. He is a member of Salafist Al-Nour Party. El-Deen was expected to get the post of Minister of Environment, but did not get it.

Rafiq Samuel Habib. He is a Christian protestant writer and activist, but he has not so much popularity among Egyptian Christians, as he is considered being biased to the Islamists. He is close to Muslim Brotherhood and holds the post of vice-chairman of Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood.

Sekina Fouad. She is a prominent writer and novelist, with the nationalist views and speaking against corruption and dictatorship. She is also one the member and one of the co-founders of liberal Democratic Front Party.

Seif El-Deen Abdel-Fattah. He is a political science professor who shares the Islamist views. He was also one of the advisors of Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh, the former presidential candidate.

Essam El-Erian. He is a physician, prominent and leading member of Muslim Brotherhood and Vice-Chairman of MB’s Freedom and Justice Party.

Emmad Hussein Abdullah. He is former assistant of Interior Minister and head of police academy.

Amr El-Leithi. He is a media figure and TV host who was reportedly a member of NDP media committee, now dissolved and defunct party of Hosni Mubarak. He is from the family of famous TV producers.

Farouq Goueida. He is a famous poet and writer, who used to criticize corruption and Mubarak’s regime. Farouq Goueida said in an interview today that he currently doesn’t understand his function in the presidential team clearly, but he will probably try to focus on the issues of culture, public freedoms and freedom of expression and rebuilding of the Egyptian citizen on the new cultural foundations.

Mohamed Selim El-Awa. He is a prominent Islamist thinker and lawyer, also former presidential candidate. He is considered being close to Muslim Brotherhood.

Mohamed Esmat Seif El-Dawla. He is a famous Islamist writer and activist, with the Arab nationalist views.

Mohei Hamed Mohamed. He is a physician and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau.

Thus the political parties represented in Mohamed Morsy’s presidential team are Freedom and Justice Party, Al-Nour Party, Democratic Front. The new team was met with a lot of criticism, as it doesn’t include enough liberal and revolutionary figures and there are also no representatives of Egyptian youth.

The additional names are expected to be revealed in the coming days.