New governors to swear in tomorrow

Twenty-seven governors and 11 deputies will swear their oath of office before interim President Adly Mansour on Tuesday, presidential spokesperson Ahmed al-Moslemany told the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram.

The post-Morsi regime reshuffling involved the appointment of 20 new governors, leaving seven in their positions from the previous government.

A meeting would take place between the new governors and Mansour, Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi, Vice President for International Affairs Mohamed ElBaradei and other ministers, Al-Ahram reported.

Critics fear that the appointments may include governors belonging to the military.

Media reports said that head of the Reform and Development Party and former MP Essmat al-Sadat rejected his nomination as governor of Monufiya.

During former President Mohamed Morsi’s tenure, the Muslim Brotherhood was slammed for appointing governors belonging to the group or the military.

Morsi’s last reshuffling of the governors before his overthrow saw the appointment of seven Brotherhood governors coming from the group’s Guidance Bureau, as well as six governors affiliated with the military installed in the border governorates.

The most controversial appointment was that of a member of the hardline conservative Islamic Jama’a al-Islamiya group as governor of Luxor.

The Jama’a al-Islamiya was accused of planning a terrorist plot in Luxor in 1997 that killed or injured tens of tourists. The appointment angered local residents, who worried the new governor would be a threat to the already-suffering tourism industry.

The governor soon declared his resignation following days of heated protests.

These appointments angered many ahead of the mass protests that began on June 30 demanding an end to the Brotherhood’s rule. The nationwide demonstrations resulted in the military removing Morsi from office on July 3.