Prime Minister Sherif Ismail is expected to submit on Saturday a list of new ministers, elected by him, to replace eight current ministers in the cabinet, according to a cabinet source.
The cabinet reshuffle is expected to include the ministers of justice, investment, finance, health, transportation, irrigation, tourism, and education, the source said.
Ismail is considering postponing the weekly cabinet meeting, usually scheduled for Wednesday, to Thursday in the presence of the new ministers.
The cabinet reshuffle comes days before the prime minister is set to present the cabinet programme to the parliament on 27 March. The new ministers will be sworn in on Tuesday morning, according to official reports.
Article 146 of the 2014 Constitution states: “The president of the republic appoints a prime minister to form a government and offer to the parliament the cabinet programme. If the government does not receive approval from the majority of the parliament within 30 days, the president appoints another prime minister, who is nominated by the majority of the parliament.
“If that government does not receive approval from the majority of the parliament within 30 days, the parliament is dissolved and the president will call for parliamentary elections within 60 days from the date of the parliament’s dissolution. The time of this process as a whole must not exceed 60 days.”
Sources have reported that chairman of the Commercial International Bank Amr Ganainy is widely tipped to be the next minister of tourism, to replace Hisham Zaazou. Zaazou was replaced in a previous cabinet reshuffle, before being reappointed in the last reshuffle in September.
There are two potential candidates for the post of minister of investment, including Dalia Khorshid from Orascom Construction, and Nevin Tahiri. Khorshid refused to comment on her candidacy.
Amr Garhi, former chairman of National Investment Bank, is nominated for the Ministry of Finance. Alaa Fahmy is likely to return to the Ministry of Transport.
The minister of irrigation is likely to be dismissed owing to the recent negotiations of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
