Egypt’s petroleum minister to form a new government

The resignation, which included all cabinet members, was accepted by President Sisi on Saturday morning.

No reason was given for the move but the announcement comes nearly a week after authorities arrested Egypt’s agriculture minister over corruption allegations.

Further details to follow.

Egyptian parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin in October and go through November. He held the position since July 16, 2013.

El-Sissi in recent months has had to perform tasks that normally should fall to Mehleb, such as arranging meetings with ministers and negotiating business deals with foreign investors, according to the two officials.

A senior government official told the AFP news agency the reshuffle was meant to “pump new blood” into the government in light of the scandal.

Ismail, seen by Sisi as one of the best performing ministers, will likely be appointed the new prime minister, replacing Ibrahim Mehleb. The state prosecutor’s office said it was investigating Helal and other ministry officials on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for land licenses.

More damaging is the correlation that will be made between the corruption allegations and the swift resignation by the former Prime Minister.

The cabinet will act as a caretaker government until a new one is formed, the statement said.

The Cabinet’s resignation also illustrated a political dilemma facing el-Sissi, the former armed forces chief who took power during a wave of nationalist fervor after the military’s ouster of Morsi.