CAIRO – 13 June 2018: Sources revealed that the new ministers of the newly appointed Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly will take the oath before President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi on Thursday.
According to the sources, health, environment, agriculture, finance and trade and industry ministers were all changed and as many as 13 to 16 deputy ministers will be appointed.
Madbouly has met with a number of new candidates for ministerial posts in one of the Ministry of Housing’s affiliated buildings, to read reports about them and review their work plans.
According to sources, Madbouly notified a number of ministers in a meeting that they would stay in their posts for another term.
The notified ministers include Mohamed Shaker, minister of electricity and renewable energy; Mohamed al-Assar, minister of military production; Sahar Nasr, minister of investment and international cooperation; Nabila Makram, minister of immigration and Egyptian expatriates affairs; Ghada Wali, minister of social solidarity; and Tarek Shawki, minister of education. All the above mentioned ministers have managed to carry out many ongoing national projects.
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi talks with newly appointed Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly on Thursday, June 7, 2018- Press photo
While sources revealed that negotiations took place with the Parliament to nominate new ministers, after President Sisi ordered Madbouly to form a new government to succeed that of Sherif Ismail, who resigned on June 5.
A high-level source told Egypt Today that regulatory authorities have started checking the financial disclosure of the new candidates and would finish checking them within few hours. According to the source, two candidates were nominated for each ministry.
The source said that the parties have sought nominating younger ministries to be able to carry out the programs assigned by the president and the Cabinet.
Mohamed Maeet, the deputy finance minister, was assigned the Ministry of Finance, while Maged Shosha, a former member of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, is considered the most prominent candidate for the Tourism Ministry; also, negotiations concerning reappointing Dalia al-Mashat are taking place.
Concerning the Ministry of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, assistant environment minister for foreign affairs is a strong candidate to become the minister.
Moreover, Hala Zayed is a potential candidate to lead the Ministry of Health, to be the second female minister in the history of the Health Ministry since its establishment in 1937. Magdi Rashed, a member of the Support Egypt coalition and Hala Adli Hussein, former head of Egypt’s VACSERA Company, a subsidiary of the Ministry of Health, also compete with Zayed on the post.
According to the source, some parties of the negotiations voiced concerns that Transportation Minister, Hisham Arafat is not capable to manage the transportation system in Egypt, while others thought he should be given a chance to develop the system.
After all, Madbouly decided to hold a meeting with Arafat to review his vision and work plan. Madbouly advised Arafat not to resort to raising prices in his plans.
President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi during a meeting with Health Minister Ahmad Emad el-Din, and Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, January 4, 2018 – Press photo
Arafat’s announcement in May of an increase ranging from 150 to 250 percent in the price of the metro tickets has drawn criticism, and has left Egyptians overwhelmed with anger.
Khaled Abdel Aziz, youth and sports minister, would expectedly leave office, according to sources. Ashraf Sobhi, head of the Egyptian Sports Federation for University, is a strong candidate to succeed Abdel Aziz.
MP Mohamed al-Segini, deputy head of the Parliament’s Local Administration Committee, is nominated for the Ministry of Local Development, the source said. Amr Nassar, head of the Export Council for Engineering Industries, is the strongest candidate for the Ministry of Industry, the source added.
The talks addressed the probability of keeping Inas Abdel Dayem in her post as the minister of culture, according to the sources.
Omar Marwan, minister of legal and parliamentary affairs and Magdi Abul Ela, head of the Cassation Court and the Supreme Judiciary Council are nominated for the Ministry of Justice in case Minister of Justice Mohamed Hossam Abdel-Rahim is not reappointed.
Mohamed Eissa, deputy head of the Ministry of Manpower, is nominated for heading the ministry, while Assem al-Gazar, deputy head of the Minister of Housing, is a strong potential candidate for leading his ministry.
According to media outlets, the new reshuffle, ordered by President Sisi, will see the dropping of eight ministers, including Minister of Antiquities Khaled al-Anany, Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan, Minister of Irrigation Mohamed Abdel Aaty, Minister of Health Emad el din, Minister of Agriculture Abdel Moniem al-Banna, and Minister of Higher Education Khaled Abdel Ghaffar.
Legal steps
According to the constitution, Madbouly has to make a statement before the Parliament, revealing the names of the ministers, and the Cabinet’s program. The Parliament will subsequently discuss Madbouly’s statement, according to law.
The Parliament then will assign a special committee with issuing a report on Madbouly’s statement. The report will be consequently reviewed by the Parliament in a plenary session.
In order for the new Cabinet to gain the Parliament’s trust, the majority (around 300) of Parliament members have to vote in favor of it. The pro-government “Egypt Support” parliamentary coalition holds around 400 of 597 seats in Parliament.
The prime minister and ministries will then take the oath before President Sisi ahead of taking their posts.
However, sources revealed to state-owned Al-Ahram Daily that no prior consultations will take place with the Parliament concerning choosing ministers. Instead, Parliament would vote on the new ministers following the approval of Sisi.
If the new Cabinet does not gain the trust of the majority of Parliament members, President Sisi would then order a new prime minister nominated by the coalition or the party that holds the majority of seats in the Parliament, to choose new ministries, according to the constitution.
If his new Cabinet is not approved by the Parliament within 30 days, the Parliament will be declared dissolved. President Sisi will then call for a parliamentary election within two months. The new prime minister will then review the ministers’ names and Cabinet’s program before the new Parliament in its first session.
Once the new Parliament’s majority bloc approves the new Cabinet, the president will choose, in cooperation with the PM, the ministers of defense, interior, foreign affairs and justice.
Additional reporting by Amr Mohamed Kandil
Comments
Leave a Comment