Egypt's prime minister is scheduled to present his cabinet's programme to the parliament either by the end of February or in early March in preparation for the MP vote of confidence, MENA reported on Monday. According to Article 146 of the country's constitution, the president appoints a prime minister who forms a cabinet. The cabinet then presents its programme to the parliament. A majority vote of confidence in the cabinet is required within 30 days of its formation. If a majority vote is not reached, the president appoints another PM based on the majority party or coalition. If the parliament does not agree on the plan of the new PM, then the House of Representatives is disbanded and new parliamentary elections take place. PM Sherif Ismail told MENA that the parliamentary session where the cabinet will give its statement will take around one hour. He added that the cabinet's strategic and economic programme will be handed out to the MPs during the session. The current cabinet is headed by PM Sherif Ismail, who was appointed by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in September 2015 and has 33 portfolios. The cabinet was appointed before the election of the new parliament. Ismail was petroleum minister in 2014 until his appointment as PM. Egypt's new parliament is composed of 596 MPs, an unprecedented figure in Egypt's 150-year-old parliamentary history. source: Ahram Online
