Reuters/Cairo
Egypt’s finance and interior ministers are to be replaced, the state news agency said yesterday, in moves promised by President Mohamed Mursi to assuage public anger at an economic crisis.
“Middle East News Agency has learned that the new ministers will include General Mohamed Ibrahim for the interior ministry and ... Al-Mursi al-Sayed Hegazy for the finance ministry,” Mena said.
Cabinet sources confirmed the moves. They said the new finance minister has a PhD degree in economics and has researched Islamic finance, and that the new interior minister had been an assistant to the previous interior minister.
The state agency said 10 new ministers would take the oath of office today for portfolios including electricity, environment, communications and transportation.
Egypt’s economy and security conditions were seriously disrupted by the political turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising against former leader Hosni Mubarak.
The country’s currency has lost about 10% of its value against the dollar since the start of 2011 - about a third of this in the last week alone.
