Al-Wasat Party strongly rejects keeping Qandil on as prime minister, according to their statement released in response to President Mohamed Morsy’s address to the nation Wednesday evening.
Morsy announced that Qandil will remain the Prime Minister of Egypt. Morsy added that some changes will be made to the Cabinet. The party considers the president’s decision to be a grave mistake that may have negative implications.
Al-Wasat Party said that it will not be taking part in the Cabinet. “Appointing Hesham Qandil was objected by the party from day one because he is not politicised and is not fit to manage this phase,” the party said.
Morsy appointed Qandil as prime minister in late July. At the time, he was serving as the Irrigation and Water Resources Minister and was unfamiliar to the majority of the public. Qandil presented his first Cabinet on 2 August.
The party claims that time has proven its expectations to be true and that Qandil and his government have failed miserably in solving any political, economic or service- related problem. It added that he has not been on the scene during the recent turmoil the country has been through.
Al-Wasat had previously suggested appointing a strong public figure, whether an independent figure or even someone from the opposition, to form a national unity government to manage the current phase and avoid more tensions in the country.
The country has been largely polarised since the president passed a constitutional declaration in late November. Replacing it with another constitutional declaration in December has failed to ease the tensions.
Now that the constitution has been passed, with 63.8 per cent, the next step for the nation is to hold People’s Assembly elections.
Al-Wasat Party has supported many of the president’s decisions but claims it rejects this one in the interests of the nation, not the party. While Al Wasat is not an Islamist party, it uses Islamic culture as its reference.
