Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Tuesday appointed former Irrigation Minister Hisham Qandil as the new Prime Minister, and asked him to form a Cabinet, state television reported.
Morsi was sworn in as Egypt's first civilian and freely elected President on June 30 to replace Hosni Mubarak, who stepped down in February last year, and handed over power to the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).
Qandil was a senior bureaucrat in the Irrigation Ministry until the military council included him in the interim government of Kamal al-Ganzouri in July last year.
Little known outside Egypt, Qandil's career was confined to a technocrat in the Water Ministry.
Despite being an elected President, Egypt's powerful military has not yet handed over supreme power to Mursi. SCAF dissolved the country's Islamist-dominated Parliament that led to a series of retaliatory measures by the civilian government and the military.
Cabinet formation process has been delayed for over a month reportedly due to the refusal of technocrats to work with the ruling Islamist party. Mursi has promised representation to women and minority Christians in an "inclusive government."
by RTT Staff Writer
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