Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Saturday asked Oil Minister Sherif Ismail to form a new cabinet within one week after the government submitted its resignation, a statement from the presidency said.
It was not immediately clear why the government resigned but officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity that Sis had been unhappy with the performance of several ministries. The announcement comes almost one week after the authorities arrested Egypt’s agriculture minister over corruption allegations.
Egypt is battling an insurgency headed by an affiliate of Islamic State while trying to attract more foreign investment in an economy reeling from years of turmoil that followed an uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Ismail will likely be appointed the new prime minister, replacing Ibrahim Mehleb. An engineer who held senior posts at several state-run energy firms, Ismail is seen as one of the best performing ministers.
