Egypt’s Housing Minister Officially Tasked to Form New Government

Ibrahim Mehleb has been asked to form a new government by interim President Adly Mansour, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ehab Badawi announced on Tuesday.

Mehleb, who resigned as housing minister on Monday, said he would immediately start consultations on the appointment of a new cabinet.

The former member of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) and ex-chairman of Arab Contractors, one of the region’s leading construction companies, will succeed Hazem El-Beblawi as prime minister.

El-Beblawi, who was named prime minister in July following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi and prime minister Hisham Kandil’s government, announced the resignation of his cabinet on Monday.

“I think he will be a very practical prime minister, but of course it is a very difficult position given the economic problems and the very high expectations of the public,” said Angus Blair, chairman of business and economic forecasting think-tank Signet, who recently heard Mahlab speak at a seminar, told Reuters.

“He was very frank about the problems Egypt faces and very clear that you have to bring the population with you on what needs to done in policies that would have to be undertaken to improve the economy,” he said.

*This story has been edited by Amwal Al Ghad English