Egypt’s Brotherhood gains power with Cabinet posts

CAIRO — President Mohammed Morsi reshuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday, strengthening the Muslim Brotherhood’s hold on power and angering the opposition amid Egypt’s economic turmoil and political unrest.

The naming of nine new ministers underlines the nation’s troubling schisms and the opposition’s inability to stem the Brotherhood’s grip on the government. Morsi ignored opposition demands for a consensus Cabinet and the removal of Prime Minister Hesham Kandil.

Two of the new appointees — Amr Darrag as planning minister and Fayad Abdel Moneim as finance minister — will preside over a sagging economy and critical negotiations for a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. Both men are Islamists, which may worry investors concerned about the possibility the government may impose Islamic principles that could restrict financial markets.

In addition to Kandil, Morsi retained another key supporter, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, who has been criticized by activists for police brutality, torture and crackdowns on antigovernment protesters. The opposition accused Morsi of choosing an unimaginative Cabinet that will not heal economic and political woes before parliamentary elections expected in October.

It is the second major government overhaul since Morsi took office in June. The reshaped government now includes at least 10 ministers — up from eight — with ties to the Brotherhood or its dominant Freedom and Justice Party. The Brotherhood controls nearly one-third of the Cabinet.