President Mohamed Morsy has named former Vice President Mahmoud Mekky, who resigned from his post last month, as ambassador to the Vatican.
Diplomatic sources at the Foreign Ministry told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry started procedures to complete the nomination after Morsy reportedly made the decision Monday.
Mekky officially announced his resignation on 22 December, having served as vice president since 12 August when he was appointed by Morsy.
“I would like to point out to the Egyptian public opinion that since I assumed the position of vice president I have made my utmost effort to achieve the national interest in every area, and [did so] while meeting with political and revolutionary figures," he said in a statement announcing his resignation.
"I realized a while ago that the political nature of the work does not fit my career as a judge," he added.
Mekky, the former vice president of the Court of Cassation, was a leading member of the independent judges movement and was known for his opposition to the regime of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, contributing to the detection of many cases of election fraud during his tenure.
In October, Morsy appointed then-Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud as ambassador to the Vatican in an attempt to remove him from office, but Mahmoud rejected the move. Morsy later succeeded in removing him from the prosecutor's office in November.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
