By Doaa Farid
The cabinet is working to establish measures to increase quality of life, with a focus on social justice, said Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaa El-Din in a TV interview on Monday on the CBC satellite channel.
Bahaa El-Din said the new cabinet cannot enact “radical changes” such as privatisation, nationalisation or a change of the basic laws, noting that such matters would be left for an elected government.
He added that the government is working to supply natural gas to 600,000 residential units per year, and to provide subsidised fertilisers to farmers.
He stressed on continuing work on the national budget, which would be reviewed by the minister of finance and the minister of urban planning.
“The principle of determining the minimum wage is undeniable, and the government will discuss it with the minister of manpower and finance minister,” he said.
Bahaa El-Din also stressed that a large amount of the aid obtained from Arab countries would be allocated to cover the budget deficit.
“The government’s priority is to stop the economic bleeding and solve people’s basic problems.”
No date has been set to start negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, he added.
