CAIRO, 15 July 2004 — Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif’s new government, a mix of the old guard and pro-reform figures, was handed an ambitious “to do” list by President Hosni Mubarak after being sworn in yesterday.
Nazif and his 34 Cabinet members took their oaths of office before Mubarak at the presidential palace before being ushered into their first meeting with the head of state.
Mubarak outlined what he expected of the Cabinet, which includes 14 new ministers some of whom are members of a “new generation” of political leaders linked to the president’s influential pro-reform son Gamal.
The president said he wants the new team to raise the standard of living for Egyptians, highlighting in particular the problems of unemployment and price increases, his spokesman Maged Abdul Fatah was quoted as saying by the state news agency MENA.
In addition, he spoke about boosting imports, attracting investments, balancing the budget deficit and “consolidating” the role of the private sector.
Nazif said resolving some of these problems, especially the budget deficit, would require “unconventional solutions,” although he did not elaborate. The new government was installed by Mubarak just days after the veteran leader returned from Germany where he underwent an operation for a slipped disc.
Among the top jobs, Ahmed Abul Gheit is the new foreign minister, while Muhammad Hussein Tantawi stays on at the Defense Ministry and Habib Al-Adli at the Interior Ministry.
The majority of the new ministers linked to Gamal were assigned to key economic portfolios: Rashid Mohamed Rashid became investments minister, Mahmoud Mohieddin heads the trade and Industry Ministry, while Ahmed Maghrabi was named tourism minister.
Nazif, who has a reputation for integrity and efficiency and is known as “Mr. Clean,” is the seventh prime minister in Egypt since Mubarak succeeded to the presidency in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Although Nazif is the first premier since 1987 with no training in economics or business, the 51-year-old technocrat is widely expected to carry the burden of fixing the dire state of the economy.
Economic growth slowed, unemployment skyrocketed and the value of the national currency plummeted during the watch of his predecessor Atef Ebeid. Nazif was chosen by Mubarak to form a new government after the much-anticipated resignation of 72-year-old Ebeid, who had served since 1999, and was perceived to have mishandled the economy.
Nazif, who is also known for having used technology to improve his former Communications Ministry, has also made it a priority to bring more members of the country’s younger generation into power. He is notably part of the circle of the younger Mubarak.
Gamal does not hold any government position and authorities have poured cold water on suggestions he is being groomed to succeed his 76-year-old father.
However, Gamal has become increasingly influential, playing a role in the vanguard of a new generation which has called for greater political freedoms and other reforms.
