Prime Minister Sherif Ismail took many people by surprise when he announced on 2 February that an anticipated cabinet reshuffle would not take place before 12 February. “We hope that a final list of new cabinet ministers will be presented to parliament, the House of Representatives, when it reconvenes on 12 February and to President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi,” Ismail said. Ismail indicated that some ministries could be eliminated or merged, but no new ones would be created. It had earlier been announced that the cabinet reshuffle would be presented to parliament on 1 February. But sources said that the reshuffle had been delayed because some figures approached to take charge of ministry portfolios had declined the offer. Ismail admitted in an interview with the MENA news agency that “some figures turned down the job because of the critical economic conditions the country is currently facing.” He added that “this made the choices available to us more limited, and so we have needed more time to finish the reshuffle.” Cabinet spokesman Ashraf Sultan said in a TV interview that the reshuffle was still being finalised and that no final decisions on portfolios had yet been made. The process was further complicated by MPs stipulating that new cabinet ministers should get parliament's approval before officially taking charge of their portfolios. A number of MPs affiliated with the majority Support Egypt bloc in parliament argued that “Article 147 of the constitution is clear that the president can carry out a cabinet reshuffle only after consulting with the prime minister and gaining the approval of a majority of two-thirds of MPs.” Mona Mounir, a Support Egypt MP, told reporters this week that “parliament's approval means that each nominee must attend an interview, submit a curriculum vitae, and explain his vision of the new job, before he or she is officially approved by parliament.” “We want to make sure that new cabinet ministers are high-calibre people who can deliver in their sectors,” she said. However, other MPs said it would be enough for the parliament's speaker to read out each nominee's curriculum vitae in a plenary session and ask MPs to approve them. Sources said Ismail had held separate meetings with different figures who might become part of the cabinet after the reshuffle. Ismail indicated that a limited cabinet reshuffle might cover between five and eight portfolios. MPs said there was a consensus in parliament that the ministers of higher education, education, health and agriculture should be moved. Ismail said that the job of a cabinet minister was “no longer a luxury”. The country's harsh economic conditions and severe criticisms from the media and parliament had made “many high-calibre figures refuse to accept the job of a cabinet minister,” he said. But he dismissed reports that some public figures had refused to join the new cabinet because the salary of a cabinet minister was insufficient. However, MPs said that a new draft law was submitted to parliament two weeks ago to raise the prime minister's monthly salary from LE30,000 to LE42,000 and the salaries of the prime minister's deputies, cabinet ministers and provincial governors from LE20,000 to LE35,000. They also accused the government of deliberately delaying the cabinet reshuffle in order not to face questions on critical issues in parliament. They claim that the postponement of the reshuffle has led to delays in the discussion of key laws, particularly one aimed at raising the salaries of public-sector employees not covered by the new civil service law by 10 per cent. Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Magdi Al-Agati told MPs that “there is no problem with the 10 per cent bonus” in response. “The minister of finance has been abroad, but he will be back soon to discuss this with MPs,” he said. Al-Agati, however, has infuriated MPs by criticising “an interpellation” which accused the government of pursuing haphazard policies that had caused a sharp spike in basic commodity prices and inflation. Parliamentary Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal recommended that the criticisms be delayed until the new cabinet reshuffle is completed. “We are about to see a cabinet reshuffle of which we still do not know the scope and dimensions,” Abdel-Aal said.
