Egyptian parliament approves 13-minister cabinet reshuffle

Cairo [Egypt], August 14: Egypt's lower house of parliament approved on Saturday a 13-minister cabinet reshuffle made by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.The reshuffle, which was endorsed in an extraordinary session of the House of Representatives, involves the appointment of new ministers of tourism and antiquities, higher education, health and population, education, trade and industry, water resources and irrigation, emigration, manpower and Immigration, culture, local development, public business sector, military production as well as civil aviation, state-run Ahram Online news website reported.In a short statement, Sisi said the cabinet reshuffle aimed at "revitalizing governmental performance on important issues internally and abroad in order to protect the state's interests and services provided for Egyptian citizens."After deliberation with the prime minister, Sisi called on the House of Representatives to hold a session to discuss the ministerial reshuffle earlier in the day.A two-thirds majority is required for the president's reshuffle decision to pass through the parliament.Source: Xinhua