By DPA,
Cairo : At least seven new ministers were officially appointed in a cabinet reshuffle Monday by Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, following calls by protesters.
New officials were sworn in at the ministries of foreign affairs, oil, justice, interior, culture, civil aviation, and religious endowments. Several of the picks had been announced Sunday.
Formerly an attorney general, Mohamed el-Guindy was appointed as minister of justice to replace Mamdouh Marie, after allegations of corruption had been levied against the latter.
Newly appointed Foreign Minister Nabil el-Arabi, a former judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, replaces Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, who held the post since 2004.
General Mansour Essawi was chosen to replace Mahmoud Wagdy as the new minister of the interior. Wagdy had been appointed by former president Hosni Mubarak in the wake of deadly crackdowns on anti-government protesters by security forces during recent protests.
Sharaf also appointed a new minister for oil, Abdullah Ghorab, who was the chief executive officer of the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation.
The premier himself was appointed last week by the country’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which has been in charge of the country since Mubarak’s ouster Feb 11.
The new government was sworn in after widespread protests demanding the cabinet be purged of Mubarak’s allies and appointees.