Morsi names Hesham Kandil as new PM of Egypt

By Areeb Hasni Jul 24th, 2012 ( No Comment )

Cairo: President Muhamed Morsi of Egypt named a prime minister on Tuesday, plucking from relative obscurity the irrigation minister from the country’s interim government, according to the official Middle East NewsAgency.
Hesham Kandil was named prime minister designate by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on Tuesday.

The new prime minister is known as a religious Muslim but is not a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is a technocrat who headed the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation under the interim cabinet appointed by the Egyptian military, Mr. Kandil is also an American-educated engineer who is comfortable working with international agencies. At age 50, he is one of the youngest prime ministers in the country’s modern history.

After Mr. Morsi was elected president as the candidate of the Freedom and Justice Party, Political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, he resigned even basic membership of the Brotherhood and announced that he would form a government in which all major factions in Egyptian politics would be represented.

Appearing at a news conference after meeting with Mr. Morsi, Mr. Kandil said that the president would consult with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces about the position of minister of defense. He said that for the new cabinet, “competency is the main criterion in selection,” but balancing its membership among different groups would also be a consideration.