Egypt changes defense, interior ministers in cabinet reshuffle

CAIRO - The Egyptian new cabinet under Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli was sworn in on Thursday with newly appointed defense and interior ministers, the Egyptian state TV reported.

New Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki and Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik replaced their predecessors, Sedqi Sobhi and Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar respectively, in the new government, whose ministers took the official oath before President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Egypt's cabinet has 33 ministries including the housing ministry that is still retained by new Prime Minister Madbouli.

The large-scale cabinet reshuffle involved 12 new ministers, including those of finance, trade and industry, health, agriculture, environment, communications, sports, local development and public enterprise.

"The key changes show that the new government will have a different vision and I am optimistic about it," lawmaker Ahmed Helmi al-Sherif told Xinhua following the reshuffle.

"The massive reshuffle is like new blood running in the nation's veins," he added.

Egypt's most recent cabinet reshuffle took place in January. It was partial and it involved the four ministers of culture, tourism, local development and public enterprise.