Egypt’s PM Sharif Ismail resigns after 32 months in office

CAIRO – 5 June 2018: Egypt’s Prime Minister Sharif Ismail submitted on Tuesday the resignation of his government only two days after President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi was officially sworn in as the head of state for a second term until 2022, according to the presidential spokesperson, Bassam Rady.

Rady added that President Sisi instructed the government to continue its work until the new Cabinet is formed.

Ismail used to serve as minister of petroleum as part of the interim cabinet led by Hazem Al Beblawi in 2013 until he was appointed as Prime Minister on 12 September 2015.

Ismail has been in Germany for medical treatment last November, where he underwent a serious surgery. Following Ismail’s leave, Mostafa Madbouly, minister of housing, was named as acting prime minister upon the decree of President Sisi. Ismail returned home last December after 1-month treatment.


President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi meets PM Sharif Ismail at the presidential palace - source: presidential spokesperson Facebook page

According to the 2014 Constitution, “the President of the Republic shall assign a Prime Minister to form the government and introduce his/her program to the House of Representatives. If his government does not win the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives within thirty days at the most, the President shall appoint a Prime Minister who is nominated by the party or the coalition that holds the majority or the highest number of seats in the House of Representatives.”

“If the government of such prime minister fails to win the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives within thirty days, the House shall be deemed dissolved, and the President of the Republic shall call for the election of a new House of Representatives within sixty days from the date on which the dissolution is announced.”

“In all cases, the total periods for choice of government set forth in this Article shall not exceed sixty days.”