Egypt’s president Tuesday designated a young, U.S.-educated irrigation minister as the new prime minister to form a government.
The designation of Hesham Kandil comes nearly a month after President Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was sworn in as Egypt’s first freely elected civilian president.
Morsi had promised to pick someone from outside his Muslim Brotherhood group to lead a unity government. The military, which took power after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak last year, still hold overriding control over much of Egypt’s politics, leaving it unclear what the new prime minister’s powers will be.
Particularly in question is whether he and Morsi will be able to name the heads of key ministries overseeing foreign relations, state budgets and security forces, where there is deep resistance to the Muslim Brotherhood president. Already, the military has said the government will not be able to appoint a defense minister.
Kandil, who is in his 40s, is the minister of water resources and irrigation in the outgoing, military-appointed government. He earned his master's degree and doctorate at the University of North Carolina and later worked at the African Development Bank, focusing on Nile Basin countries. He was also part of an observer mission for Egypt in talks with Sudan on Nile water issues.
“The appointment of a patriotic, independent figure was studied and discussed in order to select a person capable of managing the current situation efficiently and effectively,” said Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali.