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Saturday, September 19, 2015

Egypt swears in new government after corruption probe Saturday Sep 19,2015

 
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has sworn in a new government, Egypt's state news agency reported Saturday Sep 19,2015, one week after the previous Cabinet resigned amid a corruption probe.

The new government, headed by former Petroleum Minister Sherif Ismail, came after state-friendly media slammed the performance of his predecessor Ibrahim Mehleb and prosecutors began investigating several officials for allegedly receiving over $1 million in bribes

The new 33-member Cabinet contains three women and 16 new members. Two of the newcomers, Education Minister Zaki Badr and Tourism Minister Hisham Zaazou, served in similar posts under Mubarak. The country's interior, justice, defense, finance and investment ministers, however, kept their posts.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, centre, poses for a photo with his ministers at the presidential palace in Cairo Saturday.

Bound by the constitution, Egypt's new government must submit its resignation once the new parliament convenes in December, following upcoming parliamentary elections. According to local media reports, the inherently short-term nature of the current Cabinet prompted some ministerial candidates to decline offers to join

Following the ceremony, el-Sissi told the new government to "double the pace of work and finish national projects on time." El-Sissi is overseeing a series of ambitious projects to revive Egypt's battered economy, including developing roads, building a million housing units and the recent expansion of the Suez Canal.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi also restructured the Cabinet, merging several ministries and forming a new body responsible for immigration

Also on SaturdaySep 19,2015, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi appointed Nabil Sadeq as Egypt's chief prosecutor.
A car bomb killed Sadeq's predecessor Hisham Barakat in an upscale Cairo neighborhood over two months ago, in the first assassination of a senior official in 25 years.

Note

Egypt, whose governments have long been plagued by corruption allegations, has been in turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Egypt has been without a legislature for three years. In its absence, el-Sissi holds legislative authority and has passed dozens of laws by decree.

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