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Wednesday, 24 August 2016

Hanafy likely to face a vote of no confidence in the House as early as next week

There appears to be a strong likelihood that Supply Minister Khalid Hanafy will face a vote of no confidence in the House of representatives after the House report on fraud in wheat harvest collection held him ultimately responsible for the issue, said MP Yasser Omar, deputy head of the committee which investigated the alleged fraud. The report, which was submitted to House Speaker Ali Abdel Aal on Sunday, will be discussed by parliament next Monday, 29 August. MPs are expected to demand a hearing on Hanafy’s alleged involvement, after which the minister could face a vote of no confidence, Omar tells Al Shorouk. Omar also noted that the report recommended the Prosecutor General open investigation into government officials and private-sector silo owners accused in the over-reporting of this season’s harvest.

Meanwhile, the hotel-stay flap continues: Rep. Moustafa Bakri, the MP who first allegations that Hanafy was staying at a Downtown hotel on the state’s dime, said separately on Monday that a petition was circulating to bring a no-confidence vote in the minister. Hanafy mocked the petition yesterday, saying it wouldn’t amount to much as petitions don’t constitute votes of no confidence, Al Shorouk reports. He added that he will attend any hearing called for by the House to discuss the report. Hanafy on Monday brushed aside suggestions he would resign over the issue.

To the delight of some parliamentarians, the Hanafy debacle is resurrecting rumors that a cabinet shuffle is in the cards. Prime Minister Sherif Ismail has consistently denied the rumors, and Al Borsa cites sources in the House as saying it is unlikely that a shuffle would happen in before the end of September. That hasn’t stopped House members from proposing names to head up a new cabinet, including Adm. Mohab Mamish of the Suez Canal Authority, Ahmed Darwish of the SCZone (who was previously minister of for administrative development), and Central Bank of Egypt Governor Tarek Amer. Government sources tell Al Shorouk that the persistent talk of a shuffle has apparently gotten to the prime minister who continues to dismiss it, and add that only the president can determine when a shuffle can come.

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