Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — The ruling Muslim Brotherhood has completed its takeover of
Egypt’s government.

President Mohammed Morsi ordered a Cabinet reshuffle that replaced
holdovers from the former regime of President Hosni Mubarak. On May 7, Prime
Minister Hashim Kandil replaced nine of 11 Cabinet ministers not deemed
members of the Brotherhood.

“The changes will only deepen the political crisis and state of
polarization, and block the way to any genuine national dialogue,”
Hussein Abdul Ghani, a spokesman for the opposition National Salvation
Front, said.

The reshuffle did not affect most major ministries, including the
Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry, both of which were headed by
Brotherhood supporters. Two Brotherhood operatives, Yehya Hamed and Amr Deraj, were named investment minister and planning minister, respectively. Hamed was spokesman for Morsi’s presidential campaign in 2012.

Another Brotherhood supporter to receive a ministry was Hatem Begato, a
spokesman for the Presidential Election Commission. In June 2012, the
commission declared Morsi the winner in a close race with the candidate of the military. Begato has now been named parliamentary affairs minister.

The Brotherhood was also said to have taken over the Finance Ministry,
Justice Ministry and Petroleum Ministry. This marked the third reshuffle of
the Kandil government since August 2012.

“After a final review with President Morsi, we agreed to leave two of
the 11 ministers in their posts because they have files that need to be
completed,” Kandil said.

The opposition has determined that the Brotherhood directly controls at
least 13 of the 35 ministries. A key takeover was that of the Justice
Ministry, now headed by Mohammed Ahmed Suleiman. Suleiman replaced Ahmed
Mekki, who resigned on April 21 in protest of a Brotherhood purge of the
judiciary.

“This [reshuffle] was meant to confront the economic crisis and to
conclude the agreement with the International Monetary Fund with new spirit
and a new vision, and to confront the energy crises,” said Essam Erian, deputy head of the Brotherhood-dominated
Freedom of Justice Party.

  Amr Deraj, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood now in full control with ouster of Mubarak holdovers, Hashim Kandil, Hatem Begato, Mohammed Morsi, National Salvation Front, Yehya Hamed