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Profile: Egypt’s new PM Kamal al-Ganzouri

07 December 2011 17:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The new cabinet led by Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri was sworn in on Wednesday before Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council. The following is a profile of the new prime minister, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Born in 1933 in northern Egypt’s Minufiya governorate, Ganzouri graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture of Cairo University and got a Ph.D degree in economics from the Michigan University of the United States.

Between 1975 and 1977, he served as the governor of New Valley and Beni Suef governorate.

He was appointed as the director of the National Planning Institute in December 1977. After Hosni Mubarak became the president of Egypt in 1981, Ganzouri was named as the minister of planning in 1982.

He became the minister of international cooperation in 1984, and served as the deputy prime minister from 1985 to 1996.

In January 1996, he was appointed as the prime minister to succeed Atef Sedk. He resigned in October 1999. Since then, he seldom appeared in public views.

As an economist, he put forward long term plans for Egypt’s industry, agriculture and economy. He was one of the key designers of the economic reforms that started in 1991.

Sources close to Ganzouri described him as a good-tempered person, according to local media reports.

Ganzouri was officially tasked with forming a national salvation government by the military rulers on Nov. 25, 2011, after former prime minister Essam Sharaf’s cabinet resigned under the pressure from days of violent protests.

Ganzouri’s cabinet will face heavy tasks to advance power transition from the military rule to a civilian government, restore order and security, and revive the economy.