Following the surprise resignation of the government of Egypt’s Interim Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi on Monday, February 24, 2014, the Housing Minister, Ibrahim Mahlab, has been asked by Interim President Adly Mansour to form another government, the BBC reported on February 25, 2014.
The departing cabinet was the fifth government to rule Egypt in three years. Before becoming Housing Minister, Ibrahim Mahlab was Chairman of Arab Contractors, a State-owned construction company that is one of the biggest in the Middle East. He was a senior official in ousted President Hosni Mubarak's former ruling National Democratic Party, NDP. He was appointed to the now-disbanded Upper House of Parliament, the Shura Council, in 2010.
The new Prime Minister-designate has vowed to "crush terrorism in all the corners of the country,” after a spate of bomb attacks against security forces in recent weeks. The authorities have accused the Muslim Brotherhood of ousted President Mohamed Mursi of orchestrating the attacks by militants. The movement has vehemently denied the charge. Some sources say the new government could be sworn in on Saturday, March 1, 2014.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Defence Minister and First Deputy Prime Minister, Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, is widely expected to announce soon that he will step down from all posts and run for President. According to the new constitution approved last month, elections must take place by mid-April this year. Observers say Field Marshal Sisi is likely to win, given his popularity and the lack of any serious rivals.
