Delays in finalizing the reshuffle in the nation's governors were the result of objections raised by various state bodies, said Egypt's Minister of Local Development Mohamed Attiyah on Tuesday. However, the minister did not go into specifics on which state bodies had raised objections to the changes proposed by the interim government.
Among those bodies entitled to raise objections is the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, the disbanded State Security Investigation Services (SSIS) largely controlled appointments to administrative posts.
The list of candidates for governorships has been changed more than three times since the notion of a reshuffle was first proposed, the minister told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Tuesday.
Massive demonstrations on 8 July at Cairo's Tahrir Square forced the military council to give Cabinet Minister Essam Sharaf broader authority in selecting his ministers. Revolutionary groups had called for the removal of governors affiliated to the Mubarak regime.
Press reports prior to the latest cabinet reshuffle said that the SCAF is insistent on keeping certain ministers in office.
Attiyah said his ministry will officially announce its directives to the new governors after the latter are sworn in by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the head of the SCAF.
The new governors will be fully empowered to make decisions in several areas, including education, health, and security, according to Attiyah, who said that ministers will only play a coordinating role.
The minister added that rising prices, security, and encroachments on state and agricultural lands will be key issues of concern for the new governors.
He added that the governors will be instructed to cultivate warm relations with the citizens in order to solve their problems.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
