Ahmed Shafiq

Arabic: أحمد محمد شفيق
Born Nov. 1941
Former Prime Minister, former Min. of Civil Aviation, former candidate for the presidency of Egypt (2012)

Ahmed Shafiq was appointed as Prime Minister of Egypt on January 29, 2011 by then-President Hosni Mubarak. His appointment was part of a cabinet reshuffle aimed at quelling rising public unrest and demonstrations.

Shafiq held the post for just one month, resigning on March 3, 2011 in response to public demand. He was preceded by Ahmed Nazif and succeeded by Essam Sharaf.

Shafiq served as Minister of Civil Aviation from 2002 until his appointment as Prime Minister. As Minister of Civil Aviation, Shafiq worked to improve the management of EgyptAir, the national air carrier, and relations with national and international airports.

His most impressive mission was upgrading the Cairo and Sharm el-Sheikh airports’ infrastructure, developing airport regulations, and modernizing the buildings. The project increased the annual capacity of travelers to 22 million passengers in Cairo airport and 8 million in Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

Shafiq was a fighter pilot in the 1973 October War, also known as the Yom Kippur War, under the command of Hosni Mubarak. The personal association with Mubarak tainted Shafiq’s appointment as Prime Minister in the eyes of the public.

Intellectuals and demonstrators objected to Shafiq’s appointment, saying it was another element of corruption in Mubarak’s regime. Public demonstrations eventually led Shafiq to resign.

He lost the presidential elections of 2012 to Mohamed Morsi, who ran for the Freedom and Justice Party. After, he fled to the United Arab Emirates and his name was placed on airports arrival watch list.

In 2013, the criminal court acquitted Shafiq from various accusations over illegitimate land selling and corruption and he was removed from the arrival watch list in November 2016.