Economist Ziad Bahaa Eldin new favorite for Egypt’s PM

Ziad Bahaa Eldin, the former chairman of the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA), has entered the race for the post of new prime minister of Egypt. Representatives of the Tamarod (Rebellion) protest movement, the Salafist Nour Party and the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF) huddled together Sunday to reach a consensus on a new premier. "We exchanged views and tabled several names including banker Adel el-Labban, former premier and economist Ali Lotfi and Strong Egypt Party leader Abdel Moneim Abu el-Fotouh, and the NSF proposed the name of Ziad Bahaa Eldin," a senior leader of Nour Party told the Anadolu Agency, declining to be named. "Nour Party's presidential council will likely agree on Bahaa-Eldin." Bahaa Eldin, a former chairman of the Egyptian General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, is a senior leader of the liberal Egyptian Democratic Party, a member of the NSF opposition umbrella. An NSF official confirmed the report. "We have reached consensus with Nour on Bahaa Eldin." The meeting came a day after the presidential media advisor denied appointing NSF leader Mohammad ElBaradei as new prime minister though the state-run Middle East News Agency and the state-run TV had announced his appointment. The Nour party had vocalized opposition to the appointment of ElBaradei, threatening to walk out of the entire political process in the transitional period that followed the ouster of elected President Mohammad Morsi. Both the Nour Party and ElBaradei were among the political forces who met military chief and Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and agreed on a roadmap which included the temporary suspension of the constitution and naming the head of the constitutional court as interim president.