Appointed as Minister of Local Development, replacing veteran strongman Adel Labib, computer engineering professor Ahmed Zaki Badr is likely to be qualified enough to fit his post, and not only with academic qualifications.
The ministry is involved in organising the imminent parliamentary elections and Badr’s record in previous positions is mixed, but with charging approach he is likely to succeed in remaining a minister in the post-elections government.
Badr’s first ministerial appointment was under former president Hosni Mubarak’s last government, as minister of education between January 2010 and January 2011. His brief stint failed to leave a mark before the government was taken down by the 25 January Revolution.
The new minister, who is the son of notorious former minister of interior Zaki Badr, does not enjoy much popularity as he inherited his father’s approach to certain events. His management of Akhbar Al-Youm Academy, a private Cairo higher educational institution, is an example of his cold-tough approach, as he largely thumped student movement protests during his four year stint as president of the academy.
A top priority mission for Badr will be to provide locations for polling stations, supervision judiciary and monitors. His first statement after taking oath was: “Parliamentary elections will be done with integrity and transparency.”
