Egypt

Egypt fails to pick new premier amid political turmoil

Egypt fails to pick new premier amid political turmoil

Senior Egyptian authorities say growing differences among political parties have delayed the nomination of a new interim prime minister in the North African country.

A spokesman for interim President Adly Mansour said on Sunday that consultations were continuing over choosing an interim prime minister who can lead the country out of crisis.

The military-backed presidency earlier named leading opposition figure Mohammad ElBaradei as the logical choice for the post. But it later backtracked on the decision, denying that his appointment was ever certain.

The change in decision followed criticisms by several groups — including Egypt’s largest Salafist bloc, the Nour Party, which said it would not work with ElBardaei.

ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, leads an alliance of liberal parties opposed to ousted president, Mohamed Morsi.

The possible appointment of ElBaradei also caused anger among the supporters of Morsi, who want to see him back in power.

Egypt has braced for fresh rallies by thousands of supporters and opponents of Morsi as political turmoil rages on in the North African country.

Morsi was unseated on July 3, and the chief justice of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, Adly Mansour, was sworn in as interim president of Egypt on July 4.

Morsi is reportedly being held “preventively” by the military. Senior army officials say he might face formal charges over accusations made by his opponents.

Several arrest warrants have been issued for members of Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian troops and security forces have recently expanded their roundup of top political figures from Muslim Brotherhood that had fielded Morsi for office.

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