Cairo: Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf Monday unveiled a major reshuffle of his four-month-old Cabinet under pressure from protesters demanding a "revolutionary government".
The line-up of the government features 15 new faces, including two prime minister deputies for economic and political affairs.
Among those replaced in the new Cabinet are ministers of foreign affairs, finance, health, higher education, telecommunications, transport, military production, industry, agriculture, local development, religious affairs, civil aviation, antiquities and irrigation. However, 13 members from the old government have been kept in the new Cabinet, a matter that has drawn criticism from protesters.
A swear-in ceremony for the new Cabinet had to be delayed until Tuesday after employees at the Ministry of Antiquities protested against choosing Abdul Fatah Al Bana for the ministry, according to the website of the semi-official newspaper Al Ahram.
Sharaf, appointed in late March, has been under pressure from protesters to sack ministers who served under Mubarak or were members of the formerly ruling National Democratic Party.
"We see this Cabinet reshuffle as inadequate," said Mohammad Adel of April 6, a key protest group. "While we continue to insist on having Essam Sharaf as prime minister, we believe that the new government has made a mistake of keeping ministers from the Mubarak era."
Adel added that his group will continue an 11-day strike "until the ministers from Mubarak's party" are dismissed from the government.
Pushing for the resignation of Sharaf himself, the Revolution's Youth Union, another protest group, has said it is compiling a "black list" of government officials, including the prime minister, for being one-time members of Mubarak's party.
"The whole government should be sacked," said the group in a statement on Monday. "All political powers should stay away from this attempt to whitewash the government's face."
New members
The new Cabinet includes Ali Al Salami, a politician from the liberal Wafd Party, who has been appointed as the prime minister deputy for political affairs and democratic transformation.
Hazem Al Bebalwi, a well-known economist, has been named deputy of the prime minister for economic affairs and finance minister too. Meanwhile, Mohammad Kamel Amr has been appointed foreign minister, replacing Mohammad Al Orabi who quit three weeks after given the post.
Scores of protesters, who are still campaigning in Tahrir Square in central Cairo and other big cities, are demanding the military rulers to expedite the prosecution of Mubarak and former regime officials in public trials.
Mubarak, 83, was ousted in February in a popular revolt that left at least 846 dead and more than 6,000 injured, according to a fact-finding commission.
