More than 100,000 people flooded Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday, protesting the military’s choice for Egypt’s new prime minister.
In the latest effort by the Egyptian military to appease protesters without stepping down immediately, military rulers hand-picked Kamal el-Ganzouri, a politician from ousted leader Hosni Mubarak’s era.
El-Ganzouri served as prime minister under Mubarak between 1996 and 1999. He was deputy prime minister and planning minister before that. He also was a provincial governor under the late President Anwar Sadat.
El-Ganzouri’s appointment was announced by Egyptian state TV following a meeting Thursday night between him and military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Tantawi was Mubarak’s defence minister of 20 years and served in el-Ganzouri’s earlier government.
In addition to their political inner circles, Mubarak and Ganzouri have other similarities.
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Ganzouri is unpopular with protesters in Egypt, seething at the military’s reluctance to dismantle Mubarak’s government and legacy.
“Not only was he prime minister under Mubarak, but also part of the old regime for a total of 18 years,” said 29-year old protester Mohammed el-Fayoumi. “Why did we have a revolution then?”
“El-Ganzouri is a new Sharaf. He’s old regime,” said Nayer Mustafa, 62. “The revolution was hijacked once. We won’t let it happen again.”
| MUBARAK | GANZOURI | |
| AGE | 83 | 78 |
| ROLE IN GOVERNMENT | Mubarak was Egypt’s President from October 1981 to Feb. 2011. He was prime minister from 1981-1982, and vice president of Egypt from 1975 to 1981. | Ganzouri was appointed by Mubarak as prime minister in Jan. 1996. He was dismissed in Oct. 1999.
He served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1986 to 1996, under Mubarak and Atef Sedki. |
| POLITICAL PARTY | National Democratic Party | Independent and National Democratic Party |
| RELIGION | Sunni Islam | Sunni Islam |
| ALMA MATER | Egyptian Military Academy | University of Michigan |
| JAN. 25 REVOLUTION | On Jan. 25, 2011, mass protests against Mubarak and his regime began in Cairo. Throughout the protests across Egypt, Mubarak insisted he would not resign, and would die on Egyptian soil. After announcing on Feb. 1 that he would finish his current term but would not seek re-election, Mubarak resigned on Feb. 11. Power was turned over to the Egyptian military. | Ganzouri broke a decade-long silence following the Jan. 25 revolution. Speaking on Egyptian television, Ganzouri said the revolution marked the beginning of a new era in Egypt. After interim prime minister Essam Sharaf resigned in November 2011, the military asked Ganzouri to form a new coalition government. |
With files from The Associated Press
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