Egypt’s forthcoming reshuffle not yet finalized: Cabinet spokesman

An upcoming ministerial reshuffle in Egypt could take time and no final decisions on portfolios to be changed have been made yet, Cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan said Wednesday.

“The features of the ministerial reshuffle are not final yet,” Sultan said in comments on privately-owned satellite TV station Al-Hayat.

“It’s normal that the process might take time; there might be discussions, calls, more than one alternative or reconsideration” regarding the move, Sultan added, saying he has no details on the reasons for the delay.

The spokesman said no date has yet been set for announcing the shake-up, adding that the government is functioning “totally normally” until then.

Earlier in the day, state news agency MENA quoted Prime Minister Sherif Ismail as saying discussions on the reshuffle are underway and that it’s up to the parliament to set a date for announcing it.

The prime minister had said earlier that the shake-up was expected to be finalised last week and submitted to parliament by the end of January.

Days earlier, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said a government reshuffle would take place “very soon.”

The last government shake-up took place in March, at which time ten ministers, mainly those with economic portfolios, were replaced.

The March changes included the ministers of tourism, finance, investment, justice, civil aviation, irrigation, human resources, antiquities and transportation. A new ministry for the public business sector was also created. The current cabinet comprises 34 ministries.

Source: Ahram Online