Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi (C, Front) poses for a group photo with Egypt's new cabinet members in Cairo, Egypt, on July 3, 2024. Egypt's new cabinet has been sworn in before Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo on Wednesday, the state-run Nile TV reported. (Egyptian Presidency/Handout via Xinhua)

CAIRO, July 3 -- Egypt's new cabinet has been sworn in before Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Wednesday, the state-run Nile TV reported.

The new cabinet is headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, who has been in the post since 2018.

Comprising 30 ministers, the new government saw the merging of some ministries and the introduction of new ones, especially the economic portfolios.

The changes covered 17 ministries, including foreign affairs, finance, supply, petroleum, electricity and tourism.

Ahmed Kouchouk was appointed as the minister of finance. He served as a deputy to Mohamed Maait, the finance minister since 2018, and played a central role in Egypt's negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and in managing the economic crisis that was plagued by the shortage of foreign currency and soaring inflation.

The ministries of foreign affairs and emigration and expatriate affairs were merged into one ministry under the new head Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's ambassador to the European Union.

Meanwhile, Sherif Farouk took the oath as minister of supply and internal trade, a post for managing wheat purchases and serving tens of millions of Egyptians who benefit from the subsidy system.

Karim Badawi has been sworn in as minister of petroleum and mineral resources, and Mahmoud Esmat as minister of electricity and renewable energy.

Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir, and Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar remained in their posts and will serve as deputy prime ministers for industrial development, and human development, respectively.

Before the swearing-in ceremony, al-Sisi promoted Abdel-Maguid Sakr to the rank of lieutenant general and appointed him as the minister of defense and military production, succeeding Mohamed Zaki.

On Sunday, the Egyptian president said the new government's top priority is to mitigate the impact of rising prices and create more job opportunities.

According to state-run news website Ahram Online, this is the fourth cabinet reshuffle led by Madbouly, who has been serving as the prime minister since 2018. The last ministerial reshuffle was in August 2022. ■