Egypt’s interim Cabinet was sworn in on Tuesday amid protests of Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters

Egypt's new interim Cabinet

The new interim government has been finally formed in Egypt after several discussions over the candidacy of interim Prime Minister and the members of the government.

Hazem El-Beblawy, Egypt’s known economist and liberal figure was appointed as Egypt’s Prime Minister. The new Cabinet formed mostly from the technocrats, liberal and leftist figures, includes also some Islamist figures and also some members of the previous government as well.

The new interim Cabinet was sworn in on Tuesday, 16 July, in front of Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour.

Here is the new Egypt’s Cabinet of Ministers:

Hazem El-Beblawy, Prime Minister. Prominent economist and liberal politician, co-founder of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party. In 1995-2000 Hazem El-Beblawy occupied the position of undersecretary general in UN. During the transitional period after Egypt’s longstanding President Hosni Mubarak was ousted Hazem El-Beblawy was Finance Minister in Essam Sharaf’s Cabinet, but he resigned in October 2010 after terrible Maspero clashes in Cairo.

Ziad Bahaa El-Deen, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation. Prominent Egyptian lawyer, founder of Egyptian Social Democratic Party. The name of Ziad Bahaa El-Deen was initially among the candidacies for the position of Egypt’s Prime Minister, but his candidacy was also rejected by the Salafi Al-Nour Party, as they rejected the candidacy of Mohamed ElBaradei, also suggested for the position of Egypt’s Prime Minister. Mr. El-Deen received lawyer education in Cairo and in London and worked in different Egyptian institutions. In 2013 he was a member of the Parliament, which is now dissolved.

General Abdel Fattah El-Sissi, Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Head of Egypt’s Armed Forces. El-Sissi has graduated from the military academy and made a good military carrier becoming a head of Egypt’s northern military zone. In 2011, during the January 25 Revolution, El-Sissi was one of the members of the SCAF as a head of military’s intelligence. In 2012 Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy appointed El-Sissi Head of SCAF and Armed Forces replacing El-Tantawy. During the July tense protests when millions of Egyptians head to the squares of the cities nationwide to protest against Morsy’s and Muslim Brotherhood’s rule, Armed Forces have proposed Mohamed Morsy a roadmap for the future in Egypt and gave ultimatum for finding the consensus with the opposition, but Mohamed Morsy refused to negotiate with the oppositional. On 3 July, after massive nationwide protests all over Egypt, El-Sissi announced that Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy is ousted, later Islamist dominated Shura Council was also dissolved, and the 2012 Constitution suspended.

Hossam Eissa, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Higher Education. One of the co-founders of the Constitution Party headed by Mohamed ElBaradei, prominent political analyst and lawyer. He has resigned from the Constitution Party due to some divisions inside it.

Egypt's interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawy and interim
President Adly Mansour

Ibrahim Mehleb, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban development. Graduated with the engineering degree and was working by several Egypt’s major building projects including some bridges. During 11 years he was a head of Arab Contractors Company and was also appointed to the Omar Suleiman’s cabinet during the Revolution.

Osama Saleh, Minister of Investment. He was also the minister of Investment in the Cabinet of Hesham Qandeel while Mohamed Morsy was Egypt’s President. Osama Saleh also believes Egypt’s investment climate will be better very soon.

Ramzy George, Minister of Scientific Research. He is a professor at Cairo’s University and made an academic career when he was proposed the position in the interim government.

Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of Antiquities. He was a Minister of Antiquities in the Cabinet of Kamal El-Ganzoury and later in the Heshan Qanbdeel’s Cabinet. But it’s worth mentioning that Mohamed Ibrahim is strongly criticized by Egypt’s archeologists’ communities’ and others as during his service the situation with the archeological sites only worsened. Thus, several groups of Egypt’s archeologists, scientists and artists have already declared there will stage a strong protests and hold sit-ins in front of the Ministry to protest the appointment of Mohamed Ibrahim.

Mohamed Saber Arab, Minister of Culture. A professor of Cairo’s Al-Azhar University, Mohamed Saber Arab has already served on the position of the Minister of Culture in Egypt’s governments including the recently dissolved Cabinet of Hesham Qandeel. He was the first candidacy to receive a proposal for this position in the new interim Cabinet, after Ines Abdel-Dayem, former Head of Cairo Opera House, rejected this position.

Mohamed Mohktar Gomaa, Minister of Religious Endowments. Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Al-Azhar University and member of Al-Azhar senior clerical institute, he has a degree in Arabic language and has also worked as an editor in several newspapers and was a member of the Journalist Syndicate as well. Mohamed Mohktar Gomaa is also an author of several books about religion.

Mohamed Ibrahim, Minister of Interior. Mohamed Ibrahim is one of the few ministers who remained in his position in the Cabinet after dissolving of Hesham Qandeel’s Cabinet and ouster of Mohamed Morsy. Mohamed Ibrahim was originally appointed on this position in January 2013, during the Cabinet reshuffle ordered by Morsy.  

Mohamed Abu Shadi, Minister of Supply. Police general, who was a senior military official responsible for the investigation of different supply crimes. Among his new responsibilities and tasks will be distributing of the state-subsidized fuel and food, the sector which face the real challenges nowadays.

Egypt's new interim Cabinet and Prime Minsiter have sworn in

Mohamed Amin El-Mahdy, Minister of Transitional Justice and National Reconciliation. Prominent lawmaker and international judge with the great experience, Mohamed Amin El-Mahdy is appointed for the new position, created in the interim government of Hazem El-Beblawy. His position has actually replaced the position of Minister of Justice. He is a member of advisory committee of Cairo Regional Center for International Commercial Arbitration and also the member of Human Rights Council. He started his career in the service of Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel-Nasser and assumed during his work several important and significant positions as an international judge, including advisor of the ministers, head of the Egyptian State Council and High Administrative Court, advisor to Kuwaiti emir etc. He was also a member of International Criminal Tribunal in the cases of Yugoslavia, assassination of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. After January 25 Revolution Mohamed Amin El-Mahdy was a member of the national fact-finding committee tasked with the investigation of the crimes committed during the revolution.

Mohamed Abdel-Mutallib, Minister of Irrigation. A member of the World Water Council, he has over 25 years experience in the field of the management of the water resources as he served as a Head of National Water Resource Canter since 2012.

Mahmoud Abul-Nasr, Minister of Education. A current faculty member of the mechanic engineering department of Cairo University and a former head of the technical sector of education of the ministry.

Laila Rashed Iskandar, Minister of Environment. Social entrepreneur, working on several national environmental projects which have been recognized and awarded in Egypt and in the world as well. Thus, she worked also with the problem of the garbage collectors in Cairo and oarticipated in the environmental projects in Sinai.

Maha El-Rabat, Minister of Health. She is the head of public health department of the Cairo’s Qasr Al-Aini Medical School at the Cairo University and also the first woman in this ministerial position.

Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour, Minister of Industry. He is one of the Coptic Christian ministers received the posts in the interim Cabinet. He is currently secretary-general of National Salvation Front, the oppositional umbrella group in Egypt, who was previously served as a secretary-general of Egypt’s Al-Wafd Party. In 2011-2012 he has also served as Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of Essam Sharaf.

Reda Hafez, Minister of Military Production. Egyptian Marshall, Commander of the Egyptian Air Forces. He was also among the members of SCAF which has ruled the country during the transitional period after ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Reda Hafez was appointed as a minister in the Morsy’s government headed by Hesham Qandeel and he remained of this position in the interim government as well.

Taher Abu Zeid, Minister of Sports. The star of Egyptian national football team and also very popular figure in Egypt’s sport.

Sherif Ismail, Minister of Petroleum. Chairman of the state-owned Ganoub El-Wadi Petroleum Holding Company.

Nabil Fahmy, Minister of Foreign Affairs. He succeeded in this position Mohamed Kamel Amr and has a great diplomatic experience as he served as Egypt’s Ambassador to Japan and USA. He is also a dean of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo.

Khaled Abdel-Aziz, Minister of Youth. Member of Egypt Party and chairman of the Egypt’s Council of Youth.

Kamal Abu-Eita, Minister of Manpower. Current President of Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions, general manager of the Giza Real Estate Tax Authority, one of the founders of the Karama party and also the founder of several independent trade and employee unions. He was actively supporting 30 June revolution called for the ouster of Mohamed Morsy.

Hisham Zaazou, Minister of Tourism. One of the ministers from the previous government who remained on his position as he has served as Minister of Tourism in the Cabinet of Hesham Qandeel. He is also independent political.

Dorreya Sharaf El-Deen, Minister of Information. The first woman appointed as a Minister of Information, Dorreya Sharaf El-Deen is a significant and well-known figure in Egypt’s State TV and Radio Union. She has also served as the first undersecretary of the Ministry of Information in the department responsible for the satellite channels and she also hosts several popular TV shows.

Egypt's Islamist protesters and supporters of Mohamed
Morsy

Ayman Abu-Hadid, Minister of Agriculture. He served as Minister of Agriculture in the Ahmed Shafiq government, formed during the January 25 revolution, and continued to occupy this position in the Cabinet of Essam Sharaf.

Atef Helmy, Minister of Communications and Information Technologies. He studied at the military technical college and worked during a long time in the IT and communications field as a civil specialist. Atef Helmy was previously appointed on this ministerial position in the Heasham Qandeel’s government in January, but he resigned in July after Mohamed Morsy failed to respond the massive nationwide protests against him and his rule in Egypt.

Ashraf El-Araby, Minister of Planning. Prominent economist, he served as a Minister of Planning in the Hesham Qandeel’s Cabinet until he was replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood figure. He was also one of the key-figures in the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the financial aid.

Ahmed Imam, Minister of Electricity. He started his engineering career at the Aswan High Dam power plant and then participated in some other projects and was appointed as a head of Cairo’s Electricity Production Company where he has served until 2011.  Ahmed Imam is also one of the ministers from the previous government, who was appointed by Mohamed Morsy and remained on his position in the interim government as well.

Ahmed Galal, Minister of Finance. Doctor of economic sciences and author and co-author of several books. More than 18 years he has worked as a researcher in the World Bank. He has been also a managing head of the Economic Research Forum based in Cairo and during the rule of Morsy Ahmed Galal has also participated in Hesham Qandeel’s economical initiative aimed to improve the situation and stability with the economic in Egypt.

Adel Labib, Minister of Local Development. Adel Labib has served as a governor of several Egyptian governorates including Alexandria, Beheira, Qena since the rule of Hosni Mubarak and was appointed as a governor of Qena under Mohamed Morsy. There have been several protests against his rule in some governorates.

Ahmed El-Borai, Minister of Social Solidarity. Law professor graduated in Cairo and Paris, expert in labor relations. He has served as a Minister of Manpower in the government of Essam Sharaf formed after ouster of Hosni Mubarak, but then he was replaced by the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated candidate.

Abdel-Aziz Fadel, Minister of Civil Aviation. He is an army officer and has held several posts in Egypt’s state-owned airline company EgyptAir, including the position of vice chairman.

Meanwhile Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has criticized the appointment of the new interim Cabinet and declared that they refuse to cooperate with this government and continue their demands to reinstate Mohamed Morsy as Egypt’s legitimate President and to also reinstate the recently dissolved Shura Council, the Upper House of Egypt’s Parliament. They also demand to continue the implementation of the 2012 Constitution which was suspended due to the decision of the Armed Forces.

Clashes during the protests of Islamists 

Egypt’s Islamists and supporters of Muslim Brotherhood and Mohamed Morsy have been holding the marches and sit-ins since the end of July expressing their calls to cancel the decision of the Army which they call the military coup and declaring they will continue their protests until Mohamed Morsy will be reinstated as the state’s President.

We would remind here that massive Islamist rallies and also a sit-in are being held in front of Rabaa Al-Adaweya Mosque in Cairo’s Nasr City. The clashes erupted between the Islamist demonstrators and security forces and some local residents of the downtown Cairo on Monday after the demonstrators moved to the neighborhood of Tahrir and have also blocked 6^th October Bridge.

In Tuesday and Wednesday, after Egypt’s new interim Government was sworn in, the supporters of Morsy and Muslim Brotherhood have held the protests against the appointments totally rejecting the new Cabinet and refusing to cooperate with it.

Several clashes have been reported between the protesters and security forces which are deployed in the area. The marches tried to block the bridge too but the military prevented them to do so.

According to the statement of Egypt’s Health Ministry nearly 60 people are dead and hundreds injured since the time of the turmoil as Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsy has been ousted by the decree of Egypt’s Armed Forces after millions of Egyptians have been protesting in the streets and squares of the country against Mohamed Morsy.