The new cabinet should be announced and the ministers sworn in by Thursday, presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali said on Monday.
Ali said the presidential staff would be announced on the same day.
“It was normal for certain candidates to turn the offer down,” he said, adding that the main criterion for choosing ministers in the cabinet is efficiency. He reaffirmed that the new government would include women and Copts, as well as representatives of various political forces.
“It will be a balanced government,” he concluded.
Prime Minister Hesham Qandil continued to hold confidential meetings with the candidates, receiving them through the back door of the General Investment Authority in Nasr City so that reporters cannot identify them.
“I will complete 80 percent of the task by the end of Monday,” Qandil said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
