Egypt's new government: Morsi opponents, technocrats on board, Islamists out

Opponents of ousted president Mohammad Morsi and technocrats will take the lion's share of the seats in Egypt's new government, which appears set not to include a single Islamist representative. Interim president Adly Mansour has tasked economist Hazem al-Biblawi with forming a new government to replace the cabinet of outgoing prime minister Hisham Qandil. Al-Biblawi has so far chosen 24 potential appointees for his 30-member government, according to cabinet sources. Among the cabinet members are six figures affiliated with the opposition National Salvation Front (NSF), the main opposition bloc against Morsi. NSF leader Ahmed al-Borei is expected to take the social solidarity portfolio, while Munir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, another NSF leader, has been tapped to become investment minister. Six ministers from the Qandil government appear set to retain their posts, including Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, along with the ministers of tourism, communications, electricity and military production. The new cabinet will also have a number of new technocrat ministers, including Ashraf al-Arabi, who was tapped for planning minister after having held the same portfolio under Morsi. In contrast with the outgoing cabinet, however, the new government does not include a single Islamist after the Muslim Brotherhood refused to join the political process in protest against what it describes as the "military coup" against Morsi. The ultra-conservative Salafist Nour Party has also voiced reservations about certain aspects of the ongoing military-backed political process. Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was removed from power on July 3 under an army roadmap for Egypt's political future following massive protests against his regime. Under the army plan, the national constitution was suspended and the head of Egypt's constitutional court was installed as interim president. Thousands of Morsi loyalists, meanwhile, have been staging daily protests nationwide to demand his reinstatement.