20111203
Reuters
(Reuters) - Egypt's new prime minister is keeping at least half the ministers unchanged in a new cabinet, state television reported on Thursday, after he was appointed in a bid to assuage voters demanding army rulers quit and that the system be purged.

The ruling military council accepted the resignation of the previous cabinet under pressure from protesters last week, appointing Kamal al-Ganzouri, 78, who served under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, to form a new government.

The full list of what is billed as a "national salvation cabinet" has yet to be announced but state television listed about a dozen ministers from the old cabinet who would stay.

Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr stays but a new finance minister, who will face the challenge of steadying an economy heading toward a currency crisis, has yet to be announced.

The current finance minister, Hazem el-Beblawi, said on Wednesday he had not been approached to stay on and had previously offered to quit but his offer was refused.

Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Abu el-Naga and Electricity and Energy Minister Hassan Younes both served as ministers under Mubarak and state television listed as staying on.

Analysts have said there may be few takers for posts in a cabinet that could have a short shelf-life after a parliamentary election got under way this week. The army says it will retain the right to appoint the cabinet, but politicians say any government should have parliament's backing.

The finance minister's post will be closely watched as growth has stumbled and Egypt's foreign reserves have tumbled by $16 billion to $20 billion since the end of December.

Ganzouri had a reputation for managing the economy well when he was prime minister under Mubarak in the 1990s, although the fact he served under the former president has drawn criticism from protesters.