Egypt PM Postpones Cabinet Announcement ‘For Now’

In a statement issued on Friday afternoon, only 24 hours after newly-appointed Prime Minister Hisham Qandil stated that a new cabinet will be finalised on Friday and officially announced on Saturday, the office of Egypt’s prime minister said that the final announcement of the new cabinet will be postponed as consultations on the awaited selections are still taking place.

The date the new cabinet would be announced will be revealed on Saturday, the statement said.

The statement also alluded to “respecting the sensitivities of some ministries and state institutions” as a reason for the postponement, in a possible reference to the controversial issue of selecting Egypt’s new defense minister.

Earlier in the day, Qandil met outgoing prime minister Kamal El-Ganzouri on Friday to discuss the challenges facing the new government.

They also discussed the ten-year plan prepared by El-Ganzouri’s interim government, which aims to boost production and industrial capacity, and maximise energy use.

The meeting took place at the General Investment Authority, the temporary seat of government.

After the meeting Qandil returned to his office at the Nile Water Authority to finalise the formation of the new government for Saturday before his office announced the delay.

Ahram