Egypt has a new PM and he is a progressive democrat

[Green_Lantern]

Egypt may end up being the first Arab democracies.

Essam Sharaf has been charged by the supreme council with forming the new cabinet. Sharaf was one of a handfull of ex-ministers who declared their support for the revolution in its early days, and is said to have joined the protesters in Tahrir Square days before ex-president Mubarak stepped down.

A professor of engineering who served under Mubarak from 2004-2006, Sharaf is well respected among the Egyptian public. He has been a vocal opponent of the Mubarak regime since leaving office and has been especially critical of the collapse of public transport under the former president.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/6859/Egypt/Politics-/Essam-Sharaf-appointed-Egypts-new-PM.aspx

On 4 February, about a week before former president Hosni Mubarak stepped down, the protests in Tahrir Square started to spread throughout the country with a small one held that day by members of faculty of Cairo University.
The protest was led by Essam Sharaf, the former minister of transport, who earlier today was appointed as the country’s new prime minister after Ahmed Shafiq's resignation. The protesters marched to the Parliament, the Upper House and cabinet headquarters with Sharaf leading the chants calling for Mubarak to step down and the parliament dissolved.

http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/6892/Egypt/Politics-/Meet-Essam-Sharaf-Egypts-first-postrevolution-Prim.aspx

[lsewpershad]

1. Sounds like

Good news for a change.

[blindpig]

2. ex-Mubarak minister = progressive democrat?

Hmm, does that smell right?

Or mebbe the issue is the definition of 'progressive democrat'? What is that?

[GardeningGal]

3. Did you read the articles? n/t

[Green_Lantern]

4. did you actually read the article..

He resigned as transport minister because he witnessed the corruption within the ministry.

He was a leader of the democratic revolution against Mubarak.

[blindpig]

5. I expect he is an opportunists.

Can't really trust anyone from the upper or even middle reaches of that administration. The Egyptians got a lot of winnowing to do.

[Green_Lantern]

6. there is little basis that he is just an opportunist..

And he isn't in "the reaches of the Mubarak administration" and was advocating against Mubarak before the democracy protests.

"He was a very vocal critic of the regime and because he himself was seen as a protester when he didn't have any position of power, when he wasn't even considered as a potential prime minister, that certainly earned him a lot of respect."

Sharaf's appointment has been received well by ordinary Egyptians.

"Certainly he has earned a lot of street credibility with these protesters and more importantly with the political factions who had actually recommended his name to the military council as a potential replacement for the outgoing prime minister," Mohyeldin said.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/03/20113483827365222.html

[blindpig]

7. He is of the Egyptian political class.

It would be of interests to know which political faction recommended him.Could be he was just prescient in putting a wet finger in the air to see which way the wind blows.

[Green_Lantern]

8. he was picked by Egypt's military council but only because the

Youth revolutionary movement endorsed him. http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/6892/Egypt/Politics-/Meet-Essam-Sharaf-Egypts-first-postrevolution-Prim.aspx

He isn't a military lackey.

If he was then why does he hold opposing views on Israel?

Also, he isn't a "member of the political class", he's a member of academia, not a bastion of pro-government actors.

Americans are too cynical...

[blindpig]

9. If he's in and out of government he is of the political class.

It ain't cynicism, it's class analysis. Wonder what the unions think of him?

[Green_Lantern]

10. no...it is cynism...

Americans thinking Egyptians are easily bamboozled. I know, some DUers will only accept an Egyptian govt. run as a direct democracy.

The unions probably like him:

Said Mahmoud, a worker and activist in the Egyptian National Railways, says that Sharaf was considered a good minister in the transport sector and was known to listen and respond to the grievances and demands of the employees.
"He was good as minister of transport but he didn't stay long in his post. That has been always our problem, a good minister never stays long," Mahmoud said. "He raised our salaries and removed several officials from the administration who were not popular."

http://english.ahram.org.eg/~/NewsContent/1/64/6892/Egypt/Politics-/Meet-Essam-Sharaf-Egypts-first-postrevolution-Prim.aspx

[blindpig]

11. No more easily bamboozled than Americans.

But there ya go...

Not to worry though, it's an educational process, and I guess we really got to go through it in order to achieve clarity, both here and there.