Beblawi’s government resigns

Hazem al-Beblawi’s government has submitted its resignation to interim President Adly Mansour, Beblawi announced in a press conference Monday after a brief meeting.

In his televised address, Beblawi did not give a clear reason for the government’s resignation, but stated that the cabinet had accepted to take on this responsibility not because it is the most capable, but because it was among the very few who were willing to do so during this difficult time.

Ibrahim Mehleb, minister of housing, is expected to be named the new Prime Minister, state owned Al-Ahram reported.

Anticipation around a cabinet reshuffle or resignation was heightened in recent weeks, in relation to Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s expected presidential nomination.

Sisi would need to leave his post as defense minister in order for him to announce his candidacy.

Beblawi lauded the cabinet’s effort to “get Egypt out of this narrow tunnel,” referring to the country’s economic, security and political instability, adding that security and the state’s prestige have been restored to a large extent, making it possible for the police and the Armed Forces to enforce the rule of the law.

He also said Egypt has made strides in respecting human rights and achieving social justice.

He said however that the state is in a “fierce confrontation with a party that does not want the country’s welfare.”  

Beblawi said that the government should not only be held accountable to the results it has achieved, but also by the decisions it makes, which were always subject to both praise and criticism.

He said that Egypt has already achieved an important step towards building a democratic society, thanking his cabinet for stepping up to the responsibility. Egypt currently needs all Egyptians, and the government should not bear the responsibility on its own but needs society’s support, he added.

Beblawi said that now is the time to put aside any personal interests and factional demands and “stand together, in order for Egypt to exit this narrow tunnel.”

In his conclusion, Beblawi mirrored former US president John F. Kennedy, urging people not to ask “what Egypt did for me, but rather what I did for Egypt.”

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