Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi named 16 new provincial governors on Wednesday, ahead of an anticipated ministerial reshuffle.
Eleven of the 16 new governors held senior security or army roles before their appointment.
Wednesday’s appointments include the naming of Giza security chief General Mohamed El-Sherif as governor of Alexandria, a position that has been held by an engineering professor since August 2018.
El-Sherif previously served as Alexandria security chief and was in charge of the national security body in the governorate.
The new appointments come as a number of Egyptian MPs expect an upcoming cabinet reshuffle that will involve around 10 ministers, including those responsible for health, supply and education.
Several incumbent governors have been moved to other governorates, including those appointed in Kafr El-Sheikh, Assiut and Fayoum.
Head of the Suez Canal University, Tarek Rashed Rahmy, has been named as governor of Gharbiya and former military officer Sherif Fahmy as Ismailia governor, succeeding another general who resigned a few months ago.
General Khaled Shoaib, an advisor to the defense minister who supervised parliament and presidential elections in recent years, was appointed governor of Marsa Matrouh.
Many provincial governors of Egypt s 27 governorates usually hail from the army or police.
Twenty-three deputy governors were also appointed on Wednesday, according to state TV, many of whom are graduates of a presidential youth program and a new state academy for youth training. Those include appointees in the governorates of Alexandria, Giza and South Sinai.
