Mehleb rushes to finalize Cabinet on Friday

Last minute consultations continued on Friday to fill the remaining open ministerial positions in the new interim government.

The new Cabinet headed by former Housing Minister Ibrahim Mehlab is expected to be sworn in by interim President Adly Mansour tomorrow.

There has been “panic” surrounding the process, the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Thursday, with objections raised against several appointments.

The top job at the Culture Ministry proved particularly difficult to fill, but on Friday media reports said that Saber Arab, culture minister under Beblawi, had been appointed.

Liberal politician Osama Ghazaly Harb initially accepted the post, but subsequently withdrew his acceptance following objections from Egyptian cultural figures who demanded that any potential candidate be politically neutral. Ghazaly Harb was formerly a member of the National Democratic Party's policies committee.

The Higher Education Ministry position remains unfilled following objections to potential candidate Ashraf Mansour, one of the founders of the German University in Cairo. Mahmoud Kabeesh, a representative of the Supreme Council of Universities, said during a television interview that the Supreme Council objected to the nomination because Mansour is relatively unknown, and that a high-profile figure should be appointed to the post.

Of the 25 ministers who have so far been appointed, 17 are drawn from the outgoing government.

Ibrahim al-Domeery will retain the Transport Ministry in the newly appointed interim government, the privately-owned newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Friday, leaving six ministerial posts to be filled.

The defense minister has also not been named, but there are strong suggestions that current incumbent Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will retain the post.

The Ministries of Trade and Industry will be merged and presided over by businessman and politician Mounir Fakry Abdel Nour, who will also head the Ministry of Investment.

Abdel Nour is one of four ministers who will manage two portfolios. Adel Labeeb will manage Local Development and Administrative Development, Khaled Abdel-Aziz has been assigned the Ministries of Youth and Sport and Ashraf al-Arabi will manage the Ministries of Planning and International Development.

In a move which apparently took even ministers themselves by surprise, the government headed by former Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi tendered their resignations on Monday.