The government affirmed on Wednesday that only Egypt’s military rulers have the right to appoint the cabinet, casting doubts on the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to form a coalition government.
Fayza Abouelnaga, the International Cooperation and Planning Minister, said in a press conference that Parliament is not authorized to hold a vote of no confidence against the government.
In recent days, the Muslim Brotherhood announced that they would form a coalition government after casting a vote of no confidence against the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzoury. The Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, said that the government failed to deal with the deteriorating economic and security situation in the country.
The government has been recently accused of interfering in the judiciary by allowing the cancellation of a travel ban imposed on American activists who are currently on trial for receiving illegal funding for NGOs.
Last week, the Brotherhood's spokesperson, Mahmoud Ghozlan, said that he believes the United States pressured Egypt's ruling military council to ensure the Americans return home before the judicial process runs its course and the case is concluded .
Abouelnaga said in Wednesday’s press conference that neither the government nor the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has anything to do with lifting the ban on the American activists.
She added that according to the Constitutional Declaration of 2011, the head of the military council appoints ministers and relieve them of their duties.
Last month, the FJP and Muslim Brotherhood offered to lead a new coalition government in collaboration with other political forces, but later announced that the SCAF rejected the proposal.
