Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's 9 July promise of a sweeping reshuffle as part of a new roadmap for Egypt during its post-revolutionary transition has yet to be met, writes Shaden Shehab The delay in announcing a new cabinet -- a caretaker government that will be expected to run the country until parliamentary elections, first scheduled for September and now delayed until November -- is symptomatic of the political paralysis afflicting Egypt. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's decision to reshuffle the cabinet came after massive protests in Tahrir Square, reinforcing the now widely held belief that the authorities are spurred into action only in the face of pressure from the streets. Protesters on 8 July had made it clear they no longer have much faith in Sharaf's promises. He was criticised for the slow pace of reforms, with some demonstrators calling for the prime minister's own resignation. The seeming powerlessness of the government vis-�-vis the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) also came under attack. Now, as the protests enter their third week, decision-makers are struggling to catch up. Some concessions to the demands of the protesters have been made: the trial of former regime figures will now be aired on state television; the Ministry of Interior has reiterated its commitment to cleaning up its act and the wholesale referral of civilians to military tribunals is to be halted. From now on only civilians charged with rape or armed assault will face military courts. The SCAF also issued a decree in which it mandated the head of the Cairo Appeals Court to begin forming an electoral commission that should be ready to start work on 18 September, meaning that the first parliamentary elections since the revolution could be held in November. As Al-Ahram Weekly went to print, the SCAF announced that it ratified the People's Assembly and Shura Council law regulating the coming elections. The amended law introduces a hybrid individual candidacy and party-list system. But what of the cabinet reshuffle? On Sunday the names of new ministers were made public, followed by an announcement that they would take their oath in front of SCAF head Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi on Monday. Since then, however, the whole issue has descended into confusion. If Sharaf hoped the reshuffle would please protesters and end the sit-in at Tahrir Square he was mistaken. Objections to the choice of the new ministers began almost immediately, not least because they included figures from the former regime. Some political forces did go home -- the Muslim Brotherhood, which belatedly joined the Friday 8 July Tahrir protest, said there was no point continuing and the new cabinet should be given a chance -- but others stood their ground. News of the appointment of Abdel-Fattah El-Banna as minister of antiquities provoked archaeologists and ministry employees to demonstrate. The new minister resigned after two hours. Then on Monday news broke that Sharaf had been admitted to hospital "due to exhaustion". On Tuesday the cabinet office announced the prime minister had "left hospital after necessary medical tests and will resume his work today to complete consultations on forming the new cabinet". Sharaf didn't make it to his office on Tuesday, fuelling rumours that he had resigned, something the SCAF quickly denied. The prime minister did, however, order all cabinet ministers back to their offices, many after having already said farewell to their staff, telling them to continue with their duties until new ministers are ready to take their oaths. So when will that be? Thursday, possibly later, say sources in the cabinet. "Sharaf is still in consultations," said cabinet spokesman Mohamed Hegazi. Former World Bank official Mohamed Kamel Amr, who was named as foreign minister, initially accepted the post only to retract his decision on Tuesday. So did businessman Ahmed Fekri Abdel-Wahab, whose appointment as trade and industry minister had led to accusations of a conflict of interests. "Sharaf is struggling to form a new government," says law professor Hossam Eissa. He cannot understand why, given that "Egypt is full of prominent and promising people." But stumbling, argues Wasat Party leader Essam Sultan, "is completely normal". "This is what happens after revolutions. And given how the former ruling party corrupted political life, it is difficult to find respected figures to take on such responsibilities." The reshuffle, as announced on Sunday, included 14 new ministers and two deputy prime ministers. It failed to excite the public, with most new appointees relative unknowns. There were some exceptions. Veteran economist Hazem Beblawi and Wafd Party leader Ali El-Selmi were appointed as deputy prime ministers. Beblawi also took the Finance Ministry portfolio. Beblawi, a former undersecretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, is to oversee economic policy in the new cabinet, while El-Selmi is to handle "democratic transition" issues. Other nominees who received praise from commentators include Amr Helmi, former dean of the National Liver Institute at the University of Menoufiya, as minister of health, and Hazem Abdel-Latif as minister of telecommunication. Justice Minister Abdel-Aziz El-Guindi, criticised for delaying the trials of former regime officials, including Hosni Mubarak, retained his post as minister of justice, as did Minister of International Cooperation and Planning Faiza Abul-Naga, Minister of Education Gamaleddin Moussa, and Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George. The last three all served in NDP administrations. The ministries slated for new heads are foreign affairs, finance, health, higher education, telecommunications, transport, military production, industry, agriculture, local development, religious affairs, civil aviation, antiquities and irrigation. "The nominations appeared haphazard. Other than the two deputy prime ministers and the minister of health, the names put forward were neither politicians, revolutionaries, nor even high levelled technocrats," Eissa told the Weekly. At the moment the proposed cabinet will include three Wafdists, El-Selmi, Osama Heikal recently appointed minister of information, and Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour who keeps his post as minister of tourism. There is one leftist figure, Minister of Social Solidarity Gouda Abdel-Khaleq, who has also kept his portfolio. There are no Islamists, though reports have appeared saying Sharaf offered some portfolios to members of the Muslim Brotherhood but they declined. "The group is ready to join an elected government," says Saad El-Katatni, secretary-general of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. "But it would be a bad move to join any government now. It is better to wait until a new parliament is elected and a new prime minister chosen." State TV may have dubbed the new government line-up as the Revolution Cabinet but few people are convinced by the moniker. "This is not a revolutionary cabinet nor a political one, it is mostly composed of faceless technocrats," says Gamal Abdel-Gawad, head of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. He proposed that any new government should be a coalition of different parties and that the forces who refused to take responsibility should be exposed. The new cabinet will be the fourth since the 25 January Revolution and the third since the SCAF took over the running of Egypt. (see pp.2-7)
