Egypt unveils new cabinet

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak unveiled a new cabinet Monday with many of the same people, but without interior minister Habib al-Adly or any businessmen. Protesters massed in downtown Cairo insisted they would only be satisfied if Mubarak quits altogether.  

Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

State television showed images of the new ministers being sworn in and shaking hands with Mubarak. Absent were Adly and the finance and culture ministers of the previous cabinet.

Adly was replaced by Mahmud Wagdi, a general in Egypt's army.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit retained his job, as did Defence Minister General Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, according to the decree issued by Mubarak and read on television.

Protesters, who for a week have been calling for Mubarak and his regime to quit, had demanded that Adly be replaced, as he controls Egypt's security forces.

Mostofa Rostam, with the Egyptian Trade Union Federation, told RFI from Cairo’s Tahrir Square Monday afternoon that demonstrators felt the new cabinet did not do enough.

“The people need a major change, not some faces from here to there,” he said. “We need a major change. A major change means the regime must change, not only on its behaviour, but its policies.”

He said people were calling for a civilian prime minister.

Some 50,000 people are still gathered in Tahrir Square, and demonstrations are also taking place in Alexandria, Mansoura, Damanhour and Suez.

"We will stay in the square, until the coward leaves," the crowd has been chanting, referring to Mubarak.

The army has been positioned around the Tahrir Square area, but protestors remain defiant and organisers say there are plans for a "march of a million" on Tuesday.

“They will stay and they call for a big demonstration tomorrow morning,” said Rostam. “They said let’s make it a million people.”

“People insist to stay in their places,” he said, adding that demonstrators plan to defy the government curfew again on Monday.