Egypt’s Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has reshuffled 14 posts in his current minister, a change that was announced late Sunday. According to many revolutionaries, the new reshuffle failed to meet many of their demands.
Sharaf has appointed Hazem El-Beblawi, a 74-year-old adviser at the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Monetary Fund, as minister of finance replacing Samir Radwan, who resigned. Also El-Beblawi was appointed vice prime minister.
Ali El-Salmi was appointed as vice prime minister for political affairs, Ambassador Mohamed Kamel Amr, Egypt’s former ambassador to Saudi Arabia was appointed as foreign minister after Mohamed El-Orabi resigned. El-Orabi held the post for less than a month.
Other changes saw Amr Helmy appointed as the minister of health. Helmy began his first day as minister by visiting Tahrir Square this morning. Ali Zein El-Abideen was appointed minister of transportation. Salah Farag was made minister of agriculture. Hazem Abdel Latif was appointed minister of telecommunication. Abdel Latif is known by protesters as a friend of Wael Ghonim, the admin of Khaled Said’s Facebook page, which is perceived as having mobilized people for the revolution. Ahmed Fekri was appointed trade and industry minister and Hashim Kandil was made minister of water resources.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet reshuffle did not include ministers of justice, interior, electricity, international cooperation, education, petrol, culture, environment, tourism, manpower or social solidarity. Demonstrators in Tahrir Square are not satisfied with the announced names because the majority of new appointees are unknown figures and also the reshuffle failed to meet discharge either the minister of justice or minister of interior.
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