CAIRO - The appointment of 11 new provincial governors, expected to be sworn in today by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has drawn ire nationwide, with Coptic leaders denouncing the exclusion of Christians. The new governors were due to take over yesterday, but the swearing-in was delayed until today for unspecified reasons. "The new governors will take the oath in front of Field Marshal Tantawi. They will then hold a broad meeting to discuss plans to develop the provinces and achieve the demands of the revolution," said Minister of Local Development Mohamed Attia. Prime Minister Essam Sharaf on Thursday appointed the 11 new provincial governors as part of promised reforms; 16 governors have kept their posts. With some of the new governors have served under the toppled regime, the new selections have been totally rejected in some governorates, welcomed in others or even meeting with indifference on the part of a third category. Some other governorates, where their top executives have kept their posts, are planning protests until they get new governors, saying they haven't felt any change since the revolution. Alexandria, Qena, Minya and Beheira will get new governors, but residents of these four provinces said they will protest against them. In Alexandria, the Revolution Youth Coalition issued a statement on its Facebook account condemning the appointment of Osama el-Fouli as Governor. "El-Fouli was a prominent member of the disbanded National Democratic Party. Why can't Sharaf find a governor with a ‘white' record for Alexandria?" wondered the coalition. They added that they will protest against el-Fouli as they did against Essam Salem, who resigned because of popular pressure. In Qena, some have welcomed the appointment of former Alexandria Governor Adel Labib as their new Governor, but not the Muslim Brotherhood and youth groups. Labib was also the Governor of Qena prior to his stint in Alexandria, before General Magdi Ayoub, who was described by Qena residents as a ‘weak' governor who hindered the area's development. Sharaf had frozen for three months the executive powers of General Madi Mikhail, the former Qena Governor, who faced strong opposition from the residents, in a bid to defuse tensions and end a sit-in that lasted 10 days. Protesters said they wanted a governor unlike Mikhail's predecessor, Ayoub, who was also Christian and a former police officer. "We wanted Labib to come back. It's great that this has happened," said one Qena resident. In Minya, the residents said General Serag el-Roubi was the sixth time they've got a retired police general as Governor, slamming the appointment as contradicting the aims of the revolution. "Minya has lost the meaning of development, due to the appointment of military or police generals as governors. This is exactly what's happening again," read a statement by 18 civil society groups and political parties. Ashraf el-Saad, a fugitive businessman, had earlier said in a TV programme that el-Roubi was corrupt, alleging that he requested a $1-million bribe from him to illegally drop charges against him. "I wonder how a revolutionary prime minister can appoint a corrupt governor," said el-Saad. In Sohag, Kafr el-Sheikh and el-Gharbiya, residents said they will protest against the new governors or those who have kept their posts, saying the Government is challenging their will and ignoring their demands.
