Egypt's military-backed government resigned ahead of elections, state's al-Ahram newspaper confirmed Monday, citing an official.
Hazem al-Beblawi, the interim prime minister of Egypt, submitted the resignation to Adly Mansour, the interim president. His government was formed after Beblawi's government was appointed in July after army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi overthrew Mohamed Morsi of Muslim Bortherhood, reports the Agence France-Presse. Morsi was the country's first elected and civilian president.
""The cabinet has over the past six or seven months shouldered a very difficult responsibility... in most cases the results were good," he said. "It made every effort to get Egypt out of the narrow tunnel in terms of security, economic pressures and political confusion," he said in a televised speech.
Egypt has been gripped by strikes. Beblawi in his nationwide address said that people must sacrifice their personal and workers' interests for the benefit of the country, reports the Associated Press.
Beblawi, however, did not give a reason for the sudden resignation. Stepping down from the prime minister's post could be a way to let army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announce his presidency candidature in the upcoming elections in mid-April. "This (government resignation) was done as a step that was needed ahead of Sisi's announcement that he will run for president," an Egyptian official told Reuters.
However, unnamed sources told al-Ahram that Housing Minister Ibrahim Mihlib is likely to form a new government. The cabinet reached the decision to resign just after a 15-minute-long meeting, Monday, that was attended by the armed forces chief and defense minister as well as al-Sisi, who chalked out political plans for the elections.
Political experts said that al-Sisi has bright chances of winning the elections due to his popularity and almost no rivals, reports BBC.
