New Egypt appointments so far going to advocates of military rule

 
 

Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi around the coffins of people killed a day before during the clashes outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, July 6, 2013.
Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi around the coffins of people killed a day before during the clashes outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, July 6, 2013.
Wissam Nassar / MCT

McClatchy Foreign Staff

Transitional Egyptian President Adly Mansour, named by the Egyptian military to lead the country after it ousted Mohammed Morsi from office, announced several key appointments Sunday, all of whom were members of the military or supporters of a nation guided by the armed forces.

The development raised questions about whether Mansour’s government would, as promised, represent a broad spectrum of Egypt’s political factions or become simply a vehicle for control by the military, which had until Morsi’s election last year led the nation either directly or through a retired military officer for six decades.

Of the six new appointees announced by Mansour, three were from the military. The others were known for having never spoken out against the armed forces or the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces when it was in control of the government for 18 months after the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Meanwhile, prominent supporters of Morsi remain in military custody, while members of the so-called youth movements that were instrumental in organizing the protests that led to Mubarak’s fall two and a half years ago said they have not been consulted in the formation of Mansour’s government.

There were also fresh rumors about what role Mohammed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency who leads a large political bloc that had opposed Morsi, would have in the new government. ElBaradei’s appointment as prime minister was opposed by the conservative religious Nour party; there were reports he might now be named vice president as early as Monday. If that appointment takes place, he would be the first person named to the government who had openly criticized military rule.

On Sunday, for the eighth straight day, Cairo was again the scene of massive demonstrations. Tens of thousands rallied in iconic Tahrir Square and in front of the Ministry of Defense in support of the military’s toppling of Morsi last Wednesday, with some chanting slogans slamming the United States for its perceived backing of Morsi. Morsi backers held large counter protests, primarily in Cairo’s eastern Rabaa district, calling for Morsi’s reinstatement.

There were no reports of violence in Cairo, but the military and Islamists clashed again in the restive Sinai, near the border with Israel, and there were signs of sectarian tensions as a Muslim man killed four Coptic Christians in the southern resort town of Luxor. On Friday, at least 30 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in pitched battles between pro- and anti-Morsi crowds.

Mansour’s appointments included Maj. Gen. Abdel Moemen Fouda Kabeer as chief of staff of the army, Maj. General Mohammed Ahmed Farid Thami Aleoran to head the country’s intelligence agency, and Maj. Gen. Mohamed Raafat Abdel Wahed Shehata to head the country’s security services.

Civilians named to government positions were Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Meslemany, a former television newscaster who will be Mansour’s media adviser, Ali Awad Mohammed Saleh, a lawyer who will advise Mansour on constitutional affairs, and Sekina Fouad, who will be a presidential adviser for women’s affairs. Fouad was the only woman among 14 people who sat on the stage when Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi, the minister of defense and head of the military, announced that Morsi had been removed from office.

Email: nyoussef@mcclatchydc.com; Twitter: @nancyayoussef

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