Egypt appoints prime minister with ties to Hosni Mubarak regime

[Sugarcane]

CAIRO — Egypt has appointed a man with close ties to longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak to become the country’s new prime minister.
Egypt’s interim president, who was appointed after the military ousted the country’s elected president last summer, named Housing Minister Ibrahim Mahlab to head a new cabinet Tuesday.

Egypt’s previous caretaker government, which came to power following the July military coup, resigned Monday without giving a reason after presiding over one of the most turbulent periods in recent Egyptian history.

The cabinet’s sudden resignation appeared to pave the way for the country’s powerful military commander and defense minister, Field Marshal Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, to run for president. Sissi has yet to formally announce his candidacy in this spring’s presidential election. But he would have to resign from his post as defense minister to run, according to political analysts.

Analysts said some ministers would likely be reappointed to the new cabinet, and it remained unclear Tuesday whether Sissi would be one of them. Mahlab did not name any of the new ministers, but he said that some would be selected by the president, including the country’s defense minister.

As housing minister, Mahlab is likely to have worked closely with Egypt’s military, which controls most of the land in Egypt. As a member of Mubarak’s former ruling party, Mahlab also headed the Egyptian construction giant Arab Contractors for 11 years.

Some financial analysts speculated that Mahlab’s appointment could serve to facilitate business and development deals that Egypt’s military-appointed leaders are hoping will help jump-start the country’s faltering economy.

Egypt’s security forces have cracked down hard on voices of opposition in the eight months since the July 3 coup, while critics accuse the government of increasingly resuming the posture and opacity of military authoritarianism — a system that defined this country’s government for decades until Mubarak’s overthrow in 2011.

Also on Tuesday, a Cairo criminal court sentenced three members of a moderate Islamist party to three years in prison for distributing pamphlets last month that encouraged Egyptians to vote “no” in a national referendum on the country’s new military-backed constitution.



Sharaf al-Hourani contributed to this report.

Egypt appoints prime minister with old regime ties - The Washington Post

 

[Falcon29]

What did you anti-MB idiots think? LOL, you still think the world stands with the MB now? They want the military to rule Egypt and don't want a positive Egypt with a strong economy.

 

[Shaldag]

As long as the terrorist MB are out of power, all is good.

They waited 80 years to gain power. They finally got it and then blew it in 12 months.

 

[Counter-Errorist]

As long as the terrorist MB are out of power, all is good.

They waited 80 years to gain power. They finally got it and then blew it in 12 months.

Why do you think they call it a revolution?

 

[Shaldag]

Why do you think they call it a revolution?

You think they'll be back in 80 years again?

 

[Solomon2]

What did you anti-MB idiots think? LOL, you still think the world stands with the MB now?

The Obama Administration certainly does!

They want the military to rule Egypt and don't want a positive Egypt with a strong economy.

That made no sense; economics was the M-B's greatest failure.

 

[Falcon29]

The Obama Administration certainly does!

He's playing a game, the house just likes to hold everything against him so he tries to present himself as neutral otherwise they would've heckled him for either decision he made. Turns out everything is back on track with the Egyptian military leadership.

That made no sense; economics was the M-B's greatest failure.

Is it possible to have an significant impact on the economy in a period of slightly more than a year? You're better than that.

 

[Solomon2]

He's playing a game -

If it was just a game to Obama, he wouldn't be funneling money to the M-B while trying to deny it to the military.

Is it possible to have an significant impact on the economy in a period of slightly more than a year?

Sure it is. The incompetence of the M-B was summed up by Michael Totten this way:

They’re in power in Egypt at a time when the economy, an emergency room case to begin with, is experiencing a catastrophic collapse, but they have no idea what in the hell’s going on. The way they see it, everything—everything—is the fault of a diabolical Jewish and American conspiracy. If you can’t correctly diagnose the source of a problem, you won’t be able to fix it. You’ll lash out at ghosts until the floor collapses and the roof caves in on your head.

One of two things is going to happen. Either the Muslim Brotherhood is going to change (a spectacularly unlikely event any time soon) or, just as the communists did, they’ll ruin every country foolish enough to put them in power. I guarantee it.

Egypt depends strongly upon tourism and foreign aid. The M-B moved to outlaw tourism and alienated donors and businessmen with not just its pro-terror politics but its clueless officials. The shaky economy was imploding, as one job lost led to another job lost. And without a safety net of financial support, it was a steep path downhill.

 

[Falcon29]

If it was just a game to Obama, he wouldn't be funneling money to the M-B while trying to deny it to the military.

Where is he trying to funnel money to the MB? Are you out of your mind? Without Congress approval of aid it won't go anywhere. You and I know very well the relationship between the US and the military leadership.

The shaky economy was imploding, as one job lost led to another job lost. And without a safety net of financial support, it was a steep path downhill.

This is pathetic, please refrain from blog usage...that's not going to give us any information and its common sense that Egypt's economic crisis could have saw relief in the first year or even first four years.