Egypt's Morsi appoints more Islamists to Cabinet

CAIRO - Reuters

Egyptians shout slogans against President Morsi and Brotherhood. REUTERS photo

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi increased the influence of his Muslim Brotherhood over government in a reshuffle that replaced two ministers involved in crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund over a $4.8 billion loan.

The changes fell well short of the opposition’s demand for a complete overhaul of Premier Hisham Qandil’s administration and the installation of a neutral Cabinet to oversee parliamentary elections this year. Qandil, a technocrat appointed premier last year, named nine new ministers. They included Amr Darrag, a senior official in the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, as planning minister. The outgoing minister, Ashraf al-Arabi, had played a central role in the IMF talks. Another Brotherhood member, Yehya Hamed, was named investment minister, lifting the group’s representation to just under a third of the ministers in a cabinet of 35 portfolios.