Top News: Rising Calls for Cabinet Reshuffle

Egyptian NGO trials

Ahmed Fathi, head of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council, said Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri’s government is “weak and shaky” and increasingly vulnerable to calls for a cabinet reshuffle. “I believe the People’s Assembly is headed in the direction of withdrawal of confidence from this government, perhaps in the next few days,” Fathi said.

ELECTIONS: 

1) Registration for presidential candidates will start on March 10. 

2) Salafi Nour Party spokesperson Nader Bakar said that the party will announce its presidential nominee on March 8. Abdel Moneim al-Shahat, a prominent Salafi figure from Alexandria, said both the Salafi Nour Party and Brotherhood are seriously considering backing Supreme Judicial Council head Hossam al-Gheriany or Judge Tarek al-Beshry, if either can be persuaded to run for the presidency. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] [Ikwhanweb, English, 3/8/2012] 

3) The Wafd Party has formally endorsed the presidential candidacy of Mansour Hassan, the head of the SCAF-appointed Advisory Council and former minister of information.  The Wafd  Party voted to back Hassan over two other front-runners, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa and former Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh. The Wafd leadership was reportedly divided between supported Moussa and Hassan. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] [al-Shorouk, Arabic, 3/8/2012] 

4) Islamist presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said in an interview, “I do not and will not recognize Israel. But I will not impose that opinion on the Egyptian people.” [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] 

CABINET: 

5) Ahmed Fathi, head of the Brotherhood’s Shura Council, said Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri’s government is “weak and shaky” and increasingly vulnerable to calls for a cabinet reshuffle. “I believe the People’s Assembly is headed in the direction of withdrawal of confidence from this government, perhaps in the next few days,” Fathi said. [Ikwhanweb, English, 3/7/2012] 

6) Planning and International Cooperation Minister Fayza Aboul Naga has said only the SCAF has the right to form a new government, citing last year’s Constitutional Declaration. [Al-Ahram, English, 3/8/2012] 

ADVISORY COUNCIL: 

7) Despite calls from some Advisory Council members to dissolve the SCAF-appointed body, the advisory board announced on March 6 that it will continue to function until power is transferred to an elected president. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] 

TRIALS: 

8) The judge presiding over the NGO investigation said he would delay until April 10 the trial of NGO employees including 16 Americans. In addition, the prosecutor-general has ordered the return of 13 indicted foreign NGO workers who left the country after a travel ban was lifted on 29 February. [The Daily News Egypt, English, 3/8/2012] [al-Ahram, English, 3/8/2012] 

9) Walter North, head of USAID’s Egypt mission, denied that Egypt had been offered additional funding in the context of its decision to lift the travel ban on indicted Americans. [al-Shorouk, Arabic, 3/8/2012] 

10) Complaints against twelve prominent revolutionary figures, including presidential candidates, activists, journalists, MPs and writers accused of slandering the SCAF have been referred to military prosecution. Salafi presidential candidate Hazem Abu Ismail has called for a general conference on March 10 to discuss the ongoing investigation of influential political activists and media figures accused of “inciting hate” against the SCAF. A total of 712 complaints have been filed against several high profile political figures and acitivist, including presidential candidate Bothaina Kamel; television presenter Yosri Fouda; MP Ziad El-Eleimy; MP Abul-Ezz El-Hariri; blogger Nawara Negm; Wael Ghoneim, founder of the “We Are All Khaled Saeed” Facebook page; Kefaya founder George Ishak and the writer Alaa El-Aswany. [al-Ahram, English, 3/8/2012] [al-Ahram, English, 3/8/2012] 

11) The Cairo Criminal Court has overturned a death sentence against the only police officer convicted of killing protesters during the January uprising. On March 7, the court acquitted Mohammed Abdel-Moneim, who was sentenced to death for shooting 20 protesters on Jan. 28 last year in front of a Cairo police station. [Washington Post, English, 3/8/2012] 

ECONOMY/PUBLIC HEALTH: 

12) Egypt has received a US$1.2 billion credit facility from the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) to help it pay for commodity imports, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Fayza Abouelnaga said. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] 

13) In response to the recent increase in foot and mouth infections in livestock around the country, the government has formed 3,000 local teams to follow up on the new SAT2 strain of the virus and prevent it from spreading further. The number of confirmed foot and mouth cases has reached 2,175 since late February. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 3/8/2012] 

Photo Credit: Global Post

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