Over the past days, speculation spread in Egypt regarding a cabinet reshuffle, mostly linked to the end of parliamentary elections and the beginning of the new parliament’s work. With the parliament convening yesterday, anticipation grew and the situation became more ambiguous, amid conflicting local media reports about a ministerial reshuffle.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had issued Decree No. 17 of 2026 calling on the parliament to convene on Monday morning to open the first regular session of the third legislative term, according to the latest issue of the Official Gazette published on Sunday.

Speculation ranged between a full cabinet change and a reshuffle involving a number of ministries, while others denied the validity of these predictions.

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly during the inauguration of a project yesterday, Monday. (Egyptian Cabinet)

Not mandatory

Dr. Amr Hashim, deputy director of the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Annahar: "There is no constitutional obligation for the president to make a cabinet reshuffle or change, but convention has often dictated this practice."

Hashim, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Dialogue, added: "As for the nature or scope of this change, there are different assessments, because some ministers performed below expectations. As for the Prime Minister, it is not known whether he will continue or not."

Dr. Amr Hashem Rabie. (Facebook)

Limited change

The discussion about the absence of any constitutional provision requiring the President of the Republic to carry out a cabinet reshuffle after the parliament convenes led some media figures to doubt the validity of the widely circulated reports, relying on the fact that forming a new government or reshuffle the current one is among the president’s absolute powers.

However, parliamentary and political sources confirm to Annahar that "the circulating reports did not come out of nowhere, as there is talk within circles of power in Cairo about an expected change."

Sources suggest that "the decision for the reshuffle may be issued within hours or days," noting that it "will include a limited number of ministerial portfolios and is unlikely to affect the Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly," who has held his position since 2018.

On 3 June 2024, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi tasked Madbouly with forming a new government including qualified figures. The formation process took about a month and was completed on 3 July with changes affecting 20 out of 30 ministries.

That previous reshuffle came almost two and a half years after the first session of the 2020 parliament. Therefore, despite the speculation and the confirmations from some sources close to decision-making circles in Cairo, the matter remains within the realm of possibilities until the Egyptian president announces the tasking of a figure with forming a new government.