Embattled Mubarak swears in new Cabinet
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has sworn in a new Cabinet, replacing one dissolved as a concession to unprecedented anti-government protests.
In the most significant change, interior minister Habib el-Adly – who headed internal security forces – was replaced.
Retired police general Mahmoud Wagdi was named to replace Mr el-Adly, who was widely despised by protesters for what they claimed was brutality shown by security forces.
Despite the changes, the new Cabinet is unlikely to satisfy the tens of thousands of protesters who have taken to the streets in cities across Egypt demanding the end of Mr Mubarak presidency and his entire regime.
When Mr Mubarak announced the dissolution of the previous government late on Friday and named his intelligence chief Omar Suleiman as his vice-president, protesters on the streets rejected the move as an attempt by the president to cling on to power.
The new line-up of cabinet ministers announced on state television included stalwarts of Mr Mubarak’s regime but purged several of the prominent businessmen who held economic posts and have engineered the country’s economic liberalisation policies.
Many Egyptians resented the influence of millionaire politician-moguls, who were close allies of the president’s son Gamal Mubarak, long thought to be the heir apparent.
In the new cabinet, Mr Mubarak retained his long-serving defence minister, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and foreign minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
The longest-serving cabinet minister, culture minister Farouq Hosni, was replaced by Gaber Asfour, a widely respected literary figure.
Egypt’s most famous archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, was named state minister for antiquities, a new post.
