After a week of conflicting official statements and amid the surfacing of a major corruption case which is said to involve senior government officials, the Egyptian cabinet withdrew from the country’s political scene, leading to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordering the formation of a new cabinet within a week.
Earlier Saturday, Al-Sisi accepted prime minister Ibrahim Mehleb’s resignation, according to a presidency statement. During the meeting, Mehleb presented Al-Sisi with the latest efforts of the governments. The president praised the resigned prime minister and his staff.
The new figure on board is former petroleum minister Sherif Ismail, who met Al-Sisi Saturday.
Described by local media as the “least talkative member among Mehleb’s ministers”, Ismail, according to sources in the cabinet, will work on the new cabinet inside the facilities of the Petroleum Ministry.
Another source in the cabinet said that the majority of economy related ministers might lead the reshuffle, while the higher education, justice, endowments, and education ministers will be “the main candidates” for removal.
Constitutionally, Ismail’s cabinet is expected to hand in its resignation following the formation of an elected parliament late in December.
Hossam El-Kawish, spokesperson of the cabinet, told reporters Mehleb met with other ministers and requested them to keep working in their positions until a new cabinet is formed.
Hours after the resignation of the cabinet, Hani Yonis, media assistant to Mehleb, said that his duties in the cabinet have ended.
The meeting also witnessed statements by Mehleb and the ministers, who exchanged praise, asserting that they “served the country in a critical period of time”.
Although Mehleb has been telling the media for weeks that no reshuffle is expected for weeks, the country was shocked by the involvement of former agriculture minister Salah Helal in a major corruption case related to the agriculture sector.
This was followed by rumors of the involvement of other ministers in the case, despite constant official denial.
Another issue that has worked against the favour of Mehelb is the rise of bureaucrats against the newly issued Civil Service Law. Hundreds of government workers have protested against the law and criticised its authorities.
Having Egypt’s bureaucrats on the opposition side marked a weak point for the former government.
Another controversy, which led to protests earlier in September, is education minister Abdel Khalek’s sudden decision that “the sons of high-profile figures” would be allowed some exceptions with regards to their “geographic preference” in choosing which university to join.
The decision was taken by the Supreme Council for Universities and meant to give additional benefits to the sons of security officers and judges on pretext that their fathers were “on national duty”.
