Egyptian government resigns amid corruption allegations

12 September 2015

President accepts the resignation of prime minister and his cabinet

  • Egypt’s Prime Minister and government resign
  • Resignation comes days after Agriculture minister is arrested on corruption charges
  • Egypt was expected to form a new cabinet after parliamentary elections starting next month

Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and his cabinet have submitted their resignations to President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi who accepted their decision to collectively step down.

A statement from the president’s office says Sherif Esmail, the current minister of petroleum and mineral resources has been appointed as new caretaker prime minister and will be in charge of forming a new government.

The statement went on to say that all ministers will carry on with their duties until a new government is formed.

The government’s resignation comes days after the agriculture minister was arrested over corruption allegations on 7 September.

Rumours had been circulating Cairo over the last week that the president was unhappy with his government and investment minister, Ashraf Salman, was singled out for the country’s inability to press ahead with major projects that require foreign direct investments (FDI).

While the reason behind the resignation is expected, the timing is unclear as Egypt’s cabinet was expected to resign after parliamentary elections being held in October and November; paving the way for a cabinet to be formed by the new parliament.

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