Egypt – New PM

It goes without saying that the situation in Egypt is very fluid. However, to the extent that this blog tries to be a place of record for all matters semi-presidential, then it should be reported that there is a new prime minister in Egypt.

In response to the protests, President Mubarak has appointed Ahmed Shafik as PM. He was previously the commander of the Egyptian Air Force and was the Minister for Civil Aviation from 2002. The previous PM, Ahmed Nazif, was appointed in 2004.

Interestingly, President Mubarak also appointed Omar Suleiman as Vice President. Previously, he was Minister without portfolio and had been the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate since 1993. Prior to his appointment, there was no position of Vice President.

Both appointments seemed to be designed to signal that President Mubarak wants to keep the army on side.

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