Al Sisi bet for government continuity in Egypt

The new president of Egypt, Abdelfattah al Sisi, chaired Tuesday morning the first meeting of the new Executive of the Arab country after the ministers swore office in the presidential palace in Ittihadiya. Al Sisi, who won by an overwhelming margin in the presidential election last month, has appointed a cabinet to keep the momentum, 21 members of the former government remain in office, including Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim.

One of the main changes of the new government, technocratic profile and includes four women, is the disappearance of the Ministry of Information. This was an old request of several civil society groups who accuse the public media to provide unbiased information always favorable to authorities. The change meets the criteria established by the new Constitution, adopted last January, and attributed to an ” independent committee ” address the vast conglomerate of public media.

The cabinet incorporates ten new faces, including that of Sameh Salman, head of the investment portfolio of new creation. Salman is a cofounder of Cairo Financial Holding, one of the leading investment banks in Egypt, and was one of the architects of the privatization program implemented by former President Hosni Mubarak in the 90s. Creation of the new ministry, the functions previously fell in the Finance is interpreted as an attempt to attract new foreign investment and thus revive the battered Egyptian economy.

Another noteworthy change is the replacement of Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmi, who took office after the coup last summer against Islamist Mohamed Morsi raïs. A Fahmi, who was ambassador in Washington and maintains good relations with the U.S. government, will replace Sameh Shukry which, interestingly, also served as ambassador to the U.S. capital. According to diplomatic sources, the unexpected change in the leadership of the Egyptian diplomacy could be motivated by the critical position taken by Fahmy on some specific issues, such as the controversial law against demonstrations.

The early days of the presidency of Al Sisi have been marked by several symbolic gestures intended to bolster his popularity. The president  moved to a hospital last week to visit the victim of a brutal sexual assault that took place in Tahrir Square during celebrations of his victory. The assault was videotaped and then posted on the website Youtube, attracting thousands of visitors and arousing great indignation in Egyptian society. The president reacted quickly, and also to visit the victim, decorated police officer who rescued her from an excited mob.

In his position as Defense Minister Al Sisi was ultimately responsible for the execution of the coup on July 3 that ended one year experiment in Islamist Egypt. From then until the recent elections, the country had an interim government backed by the army. Ibrahim Mahlab was the second Prime Minister. This past year has been characterized by repression of the Muslim Brotherhood, the party of Morsi and lay some dissenting voices.

After his inauguration, Sisi has promised to continue the tough policy, and has denied any possible reconciliation with those who ” have blood on their hands “, a veiled reference to the Brotherhood, which the government considers an “organization terrorist. “

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on Jun 18 2014. Filed under Middle East. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.