President Mohamed Morsy appointed Safwat Abdel Dayem as secretary general of the Cabinet on Thursday.
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Abdel Dayem is the first civilian to occupy the position of Cabinet secretary general, which acts as the link between the prime minister and the state's other executive bodies.
Abdel Dayem, 69, is a full-time professor at the National Water Research Center, which is affiliated with the Water Resources and Irrigation Ministry. He previously served as secretary general of the Arab Water Council.
Various news reports have pointed out that Abdel Dayem is a close friend of Prime Minister Hesham Qandil. Privately owned Youm7 said Abdel Dayem had Qandil's "confidence."
Qandil served as water resources and irrigation minister in the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
