This past Saturday, Egypt swore in a new interim government, following the mass resignation of the former prime minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, and his entire cabinet, according to the Associated Press. Ibrahim Mehlib, former housing minister, was sworn in as new prime minister. The new cabinet contains some familiar faces, as 20 members who resigned have been sworn back in, including minister of defense Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, who is widely expected to run for president in upcoming elections, which may be held as soon as this summer, according to The Telegraph.
Sisi was also minister of defense under the rule of former president Mohammed Morsi, who gained control after the takedown of long-time Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. Any former cabinet members who had been members of political parties created after the revolts that took down Mubarak were replaced by private-sector specialists in the new interim government, according to CTV News.
In a public statement announcing the resignations last Saturday, former prime minster Mehlib said that the formation of a new interim government was the best course of action for Egypt’s future, according to the Guardian.
“It is time we all sacrificed for the good of the country,” Mehlib said. “Rather than asking what Egypt has done for us, we should instead be asking what we have done for Egypt.”
The resignations came in the wake of public protests and disapproval in the government’s policies, following mass power outages and widespread strikes. A senior Egyptian official told Reuters that the dissolution of the previous government was most likely done to aid Sisi’s imminent presidential run.
In addition to the recent government changeover, Egypt has been spotlighted recently for keeping 20 people, some of whom are journalists. Those in custody are accused of joining or aiding the Muslim Brotherhood, the party of Mubarak, which is now designated as a terrorist organization in Egypt, according to the BBC. Nine of the 20 are employees of news organization Al-Jazeera. According to one of the prisoners, as reported by the BBC, they are undergoing “physical and psychological torture” and being denied medical treatment. Trials are set to begin this week to determine the fate of those in custody.
Junior Dylan Swearingen, a psychology major, said he and his rommmates have been keeping up-to-date on the political turmoil in Egypt.
“In times of turmoil, people are much more willing to turn a blind eye to atrocities and blatant loss of personal liberty,” Swearingen said. “That is what Egyptians are dealing with right now — their back is against the political wall. Egyptians seek stability, in whatever form that might come. If journalists are asking tough questions and creating dissension, sweep them under the rug. The Egyptian state needs a rebuilding mindset if they are to keep afloat.”
