CAIRO — An alliance of pro-democracy advocates Saturday criticized Egypt's new Islamist president for unilaterally choosing a prime minister with no track record, while leading without transparency and alienating political groups with liberal leanings. The National Front alliance — an umbrella group of democracy advocates, secularists and moderate Islamists behind the uprising that drove Hosni Mubarak from power last year — said Mohamed Morsi has reneged on campaign promises to form a national unity government. On Tuesday, Morsi surprised the country by choosing an unknown technocrat and former water minister, Hesham Qandil, as his prime minister. Many advocates see Qandil, a US-educated engineer in his 40s, as a political lightweight. The new government faces a mounting crisis amid alarming lawlessness, a flagging economy, and public frustration. Hospitals have come under attack by angry Egyptians, while demonstrators block roads in frustration over frequent power outages and a lack of running water. Labor strikes are widespread. Morsi picked Qandil a month after assuming his post as Egypt's first elected civilian president. Observers say the delay reflected hesitation by Morsi and his group, the Muslim Brotherhood, to reach out to strong consensus figures. In a news conference, the Front said Morsi's decision-making “lacks transparency and clarity,” creating “a clouded political scene.” They reminded the president of his debt to allies who supported him last month in the decisive round of voting, helping him beat old-guard rival Ahmed Shafiq. In return for the support, Morsi had pledged inclusiveness. In a meeting with the Front last month, he said he would choose an independent, nationalist politician to be the prime minister. “It was surprising that the person named ... didn't meet the criteria and this is the first indicator of the path we are taking,” said Heba Raouf, a political science professor and a member of the Front. She said talks over the new government were held “behind closed doors.” Qandil Saturday said that he will announce members of his cabinet Thursday, according to Egypt's state-run news agency. Daily papers carried speculation about the incoming members, who will hail from Morsi's Brotherhood, an ultraconservative Muslim Salafist bloc, and pools of technocrats with no clear political affiliation. The liberal Wafd party, one of the oldest parties in Egypt and a one-time political ally to the Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement that it will not join Morsi's new government. Several current ministers, including Wafd party Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhri Abdel-Nour, a Christian, have said they will not serve in the new cabinet if asked. Morsi is also under heavy pressure from the powerful military council which took power after the ouster of Mubarak. — AP
