Prime Minister designate Ibrahim Mehleb announced on Thursday that he is finalizing the list of names chosen for Egypt’s new cabinet, to be presented to interim President Adly Mansour on Saturday. According to initial reports, at least seventeen ministers will remain in their positions, nine new ministers will join the cabinet, and five portfolios have yet to be filled, while twelve portfolios have merged. Only four women have been named in Mehleb’s cabinet, two of which served in Prime Minister Hazel El-Beblawy’s cabinet. Objections have been made to both new and existing ministers whose names have been revealed.
Ministers Carried Over from Beblawy’s Cabinet:
- Minister of Interior: Mohamed Ibrahim
- Minister of Defense: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
- Minister of Foreign Affairs: Nabil Fahmy
- Minister of Local and Administrative Development: Adel Labib (One of six ministries whose portfolios have merged. Administrative Development employees have objected to Labib’s presence in the new cabinet.)
- Minister of Planning and International Cooperation: Ashraf Al-Araby (One of six ministries whose portfolios have merged.)
- Minister of Communications and Information Technology: Atef Helmy
- Minister of Agriculture: Ayman Abu Hadid
- Minister of Information: Dorreya Sharaf al-Din
- Minister of Tourism: Hisham Zaazou
- Minister of Environment: Laila Iskandar
- Minister of Education: Mahmoud Abul-Nasr
- Minister of Antiquities: Mohamed Ibrahim (Employees have objected to Ibrahim’s presence in the new cabinet.)
- Minister of Religious Endowments: Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa
- Minister of Foreign Trade and Industry/Investment: Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour (One of six ministries whose portfolios have merged.)
- Minister of Petroleum: Sherif Ismail
- Minister of Youth and Sports: Khaled Abdel-Aziz (One of six ministries whose portfolios have merged.)
- Minister of Transitional Justice and Parliamentary Affairs: Mohamed Amin al-Mahdy (One of six ministries whose portfolios have merged.)
Newly Appointed Ministers:
- Minister of Electricity: Mohamed Shaker
- Minister of Manpower: Nahed al-Ashry (Workers and trade unions have objected to Ashry’s presence in the new cabinet.)
- Minister of Social Solidarity: Ghada Waly (Social Fund for Development employees have objected to Waly’s presence in the new cabinet.)
- Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research: Ashraf Mansour (Merged. Objections from Supreme Council of Universities. Considering head of Mansoura University Sayed Abdel Khaleq instead.)
- Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources: Tarek Hanafi Qotb (A source told Al-Ahram that Mohamed Abdel Mutalib, minister of irrigation under Beblawy, may be remaining in his position)
- Minister of Supply: Khaled Hanafi
- Minister of Civil Aviation: Hossam Kamal
- Minister of Military Production: Ibrahim Younis
- Minister of Housing: Mostafa Madbouli
Empty Portfolios:
- Minister of Culture: The position of minister of culture has proven tricky to fill, with actor Mohamed Sobhy declining the post for personal reasons, while Mehleb retracted his offer to appoint Ghazali Harb following complaints by prominent intellectuals. (Source)
- Minister of Finance – Ibrahim Mehleb met with Assistant Minister of Finance Hany Kadry Demian to discuss the possibility of taking on the post. (Source)
- Minister of Justice – According to Youm7 and Amwal al-Ghad, Mahfouz Saber, head of the disciplinary department at the Cairo Appeals Court, has been chosen as Minister of Justice
- Minister of Health – Gamal Esmat (a Hepatologist), Abdel Hamid Abaza (Former assistant minister of health and an unnamed military doctor) Link
- Minister of Transport – Osama Aqil and Ibrahim al Demeiry to remain in his position
Ahram Online, Daily News Egypt and Amwal al-Ghad, have published full bios of new and existing ministers. and
Image: Photo: Youm7