What triggered Egypt’s Cabinet reshuffle?
Just six months after the government’s formation, a major Cabinet reshuffle replaced 10 ministers, which raises questions about the state's ability to implement its plans.
Ten new ministers were sworn in to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s new Cabinet on March 23, in a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle that came just six months after the government’s formation in September 2015. The new government will still be headed by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, who assumed the premiership following the resignation of the previous Cabinet led by Ibrahim Mehleb.
The Cabinet reshuffle can be traced back to March 13, when Minister of Justice Ahmed al-Zend was asked to step down following his controversial remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.
Transport Minister Saad El Geyoushi was also fired in the wake of a controversial statement made by ministry spokesman Ahmed Ibrahim in February 2016. Ibrahim said that the ministry had hired a multinational company to manage the country’s railway services, citing a “failure at management” by government operators.
The recent Cabinet reshuffle included the justice, finance, investment, civil aviation, antiquities, manpower, tourism, irrigation and water resources, and the newly established public sector portfolio.
