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Egypt Appoints New Prime Minister Egypt Appoints New Prime Minister
(about 5 hours later)
CAIRO — Egypt’s president named a new prime minister on Tuesday, a day after his predecessor abruptly announced the resignation of the military-backed government that had managed the country since July. CAIRO — An industrialist who rose to prominence during the Mubarak era was named as Egypt’s new prime minister on Tuesday, a day after his predecessor abruptly announced the resignation of the military-backed government that had managed the country since July.
The new premier, Ibrahim Mehlib, is an engineer who headed a state-owned construction company and served in the ruling party of former President Hosni Mubarak. Mr. Mehlib, who is also the outgoing housing minister, said at a news conference that he would name a new cabinet in three to four days. The new premier, Ibrahim Mehlib, who headed a state-owned construction company and served in the last cabinet as housing minister, said at a news conference that he would name a new government within days. It will focus on improving living conditions, “defeating terrorism” and ensuring a smooth presidential election, which is expected to be held in the coming weeks, he said.
The departing prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, did not say why he had chosen to resign, a decision that surprised his own ministers. Mr. Beblawi’s government had faced public anger over a growing list of crises, including worker strikes, fuel shortages and an intensifying campaign of attacks by antigovernment militants. Egypt’s popular military chief, Field Marshal Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, is widely expected to enter the race, and is already considered the front-runner.
His resignation was also seen as a possible precursor to the announcement of a presidential run by Field Marshal Abdul-Fattah el-Sisi, the head of the military and the country’s dominant political figure. Mr. Mehlib is the sixth person to occupy the post of prime minister since the uprising against President Hosni Mubarak three years ago, a period that saw Egypt’s challenges turn into crises that seemed to defy government solutions. The sense of crisis deepened even further in July, when the military ousted Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, setting off months of bloody civil strife.
Mr. Mehlib’s promotion to prime minister comes amid growing criticism of Egypt’s military rulers by Egyptians who complain that the policies, the institutions and even the faces of the Mubarak era are being rehabilitated. Mr. Mehlib is facing labor strikes, looming fuel shortages and a campaign by militants that has targeted the security services as well as tourists. A sweeping campaign of state repression, against Islamist and other dissidents, has contributed to the almost permanent sense of unrest.
The head of a liberal party that supported the military ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, took a rare swipe at the country’s new leadership on Monday, telling The Associated Press that the “road map to democracy is being compromised.” On Tuesday, courts in the port city of Alexandria sentenced more than 200 members of Mr. Morsi’s movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, to terms of three to seven years in prison for holding protests against the military takeover, according to prosecutors.
The party leader, Hala Shukrallah, also appeared to criticize Field Marshal Sisi’s presidential ambitions, saying, “A candidate affiliated with the military will weigh on democratic procedures, and with such a strong support, reduce fair opportunities for other candidates.” Also on Tuesday, a court convicted three members of a prominent political party to three years in prison for posting fliers calling for a “no” vote on a constitutional referendum that the military-backed government worked assiduously to pass last month.
The promotion of Mr. Mehlib, who was a member of Mr. Mubarak’s ruling political party, comes amid growing criticism of Egypt’s military rulers for rehabilitating the institutions and faces of the Mubarak era. After months of silence, a cautious discussion is surfacing in public about allegations of torture by the security services, and the detentions of thousands of political prisoners. There have also been rare, but audible, complaints about Field Marshal Sisi’s possible presidential candidacy and the return of Egypt to military rule.
On Tuesday, Hala Shukrallah, the new head of the liberal Constitution party, which supported the military ouster of Mr. Morsi, said Egyptians needed to ask questions about the “repercussions of the military’s involvement in the political arena.”
She spoke of a danger to democracy, without guarantees that a candidate would not represent a state agency, “or rely on its power in his electoral propaganda.”
“The military responded to a certain moment regarding removing Morsi’s rule,” she said, adding that Egyptians were grateful. “This doesn’t mean at all that an oath of allegiance is in place.”
For his part, Mr. Mehlib avoided answering a question about whether Field Marshal Sisi would continue to serve in the cabinet — suggesting that the decision was not up to him.
The departing prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, did not say why he had chosen to resign, a decision that surprised his own ministers and contributed to the feeling that political decisions were still being brokered behind a curtain, far from the view of the public.
Ms. Shukrallah said Egyptians deserved to know why. “The people aren’t a child that we need to hide secrets from,” she said.