CAIRO - Egypt's newly appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri said he was still holding consultations over ministers to be included in his Cabinet, whose swearing-in has been delayed due to controversy over some of the would-be ministers. El-Ganzouri, who was appointed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to lead a salvation government, stressed that he was rethinking his line-up after several names filtered into the local media at the weekend, stirring controversy among revolutionaries and political groups. “I'm rethinking some figures whom I met on Friday. Consultations on the line-up are still underway,” el-Ganzouri was quoted as saying as he left his office. He added that this rethinking was the reason behind the delay in the announcement of the new Cabinet. The final Cabinet was to be announced Tuesday, according to State TV. However, some media reports revealed that the Cabinet would not be sworn before Thursday. El-Ganzouri, 78, was appointed on November 25 after days of deadly protests that pushed out the previous caretaker Government of Essam Sharaf, who was perceived as weak in the face of the country's ruling military council. El-Ganzouri, who was named Prime Minister two days before the first round of voting in landmark parliamentary elections, insists that he has been given full powers by the military council. On Friday, State TV and MENA reported that 11 ministers or more from Sharaf's Cabinet will retain their portfolios, including Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and Information Minister Osama Heikal. This has led some revolutionary groups to step up their campaigns against el-Ganzouri and his Cabinet, urging Egyptians not to co-operate with the new Government. The Egyptian Revolutionary Coalition, a group of activists, said in a statement on its Facebook page: “This Government will not divert us from our main target, which is the SCAF's power hand-over.” Some other groups announced they back el-Ganzouri's Government and will support it, in order to pass through this crucial stage in Egypt's history. “El-Ganzouri's experience will help Egypt a lot in this stage ahead of the presidential elections,” said Gamal el-Melisi of the Egyptian Brothers Group. Analysts have said there may be few takers for posts in a cabinet that could have a short shelf-life after parliamentary elections got underway a few days ago. The Army says it will retain the right to appoint the Cabinet, but politicians say any government should have Parliament's backing. Yehia el-Gamal, a former deputy prime minister, said that el-Ganzouri will never accept being a marionette and will be a decision-maker. “He [el-Ganzouri] knows well Egypt's economic problems and can help fix the local economy,” el-Gamal said. El-Ganzouri had a reputation for managing the economy well when he was PM under Hosni Mubarak in the 1990s, although the fact he served under the former president has met with criticism from protesters.
