- Manal Awad Mikhail was appointed governor of Damietta province on Thursday. She was previously a deputy for the Giza governor.
CAIRO: Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has sworn in several new provincial governors, including the first-ever Coptic Christian woman to hold the position.
Manal Awad Mikhail was appointed governor of Damietta province on Thursday. She was previously a deputy for the Giza governor.
The reshuffle included new governors for Cairo, Giza, Luxor, Aswan and North Sinai.
The military is currently conducting a major operation against terrorists North Sinai.
Egypt had appointed the first-ever female governor to the province of Beheira in a reshuffle last year.
The Beheira governor was changed in Thursday’s reshuffle.
Christians constitute about 10 percent of Egypt’s population of 100 million. Christians strongly supported general-turned-president El-Sisi who led the ouster of his predecessor.
Egypt’s current Cabinet includes eight female ministers, the highest in the country’s modern history.
El-Sisi has reshuffled a host of top officials since claiming a second term with 97 percent of the vote, as he looks to press on with economic reforms and bolster security.
The majority of the new appointees are drawn from the senior army and police ranks favored by ex-military chief El-Sisi.
“Egypt expects lots of effort, collective action and dedication to further development,” El-Sisi said in a statement released by the presidency.
In June, El-Sisi shook up his government by replacing a number of his top team, including the defense and interior ministers.
El-Sisi won re-election in March against only one opponent after more serious challengers were sidelined or arrested.
He first won the presidency in 2014.
Egypt is currently struggling to boost its economy after implementing a raft of painful reforms that have seen sharp price hikes.