Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Demands a New Cabinet

On Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Deputy Supreme Guide Khairat Al Shater told Al Jazeera that the Islamist group rejected the cabinet of Prime Minister Kamal Al Ganzouri, and said, “we must start the formation of a coalition government immediately.” Shater said Egypt’s new government must “deal in particular with the economic situation and the state of lawlessness.” In an interview, Brotherhood Spokesperson Mahmoud Ghazlan called on Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) to “sack this government” and appoint a Brotherhood representative as prime minister. Egyptian media reported (Ar) that the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party is planning for a vote of no-confidence for the Ganzouri government. For its part, a source close to the SCAF said that Ganzouri would remain until the military left power in late June. David Kirkpatrick writes in the New York Times that the Brotherhood’s new stance means “stepping closer to a long-anticipated confrontation between the ruling generals and the Islamist-dominated Parliament.”

Also on Wednesday, Sameh Abu Zaid and Ashraf Al Ashmawi, two judges investigating foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations, presented evidence they say proves 43 NGO employees, including at least 16 Americans, were involved in political subversion. However, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters Thursday that the U.S. Embassy had not received a formal charging document against the Americans under investigation. Nuland said “the transferring of the charging document from the investigative magistrate to the public prosecutor… is equal to what we would consider charging” but “the Embassy has not seen it.” U.S. lawmakers threatened to halt $1.3 billion in promised military aid to Egypt in response to the investigation. Yezid Sayigh claims in Foreign Policy there is not the “slightest doubt” Egypt’s SCAF “is directly behind” the probe. Sayigh argues that “suspension of U.S. military assistance would be politically significant, but have limited impact,” and the SCAF “can trumpet its refusal to bow to U.S. pressure to the Egyptian public” at a time of escalating criticism. Michael Gerson agrees in the Washington Post, saying, “they are attempting to deflect criticism by rousing resentment toward outsiders.”