Egyptian governors reshuffle 'postponed' due to Sinai crisis

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi The final decision on Egypt's governors reshuffle has been postponed until after the North Sinai hostage crisis has been resolved, Arabstoday has learnt. Senior government sources have disclosed that President Mohammed Morsi, and Prime Minister Hisham Kandil believe securing the release of the seven security personnel kidnapped by armed rebels Thursday should be the state's main priority.
Initial research for the reshuffle has been carried out, with nine governors expected to be part of the revamp.
Sources said that PM Kandil told his Minister of Local Development Mohamed Ali Beshr to compile a detailed report on the governorates which had witnessed trouble, especially Suez, Ismailia and Port Said, in addition to another report assessing the performance of each governor and the efforts they had made to ease the tension. The government turned to a database of candidates to select the new governors.
Arabstoday understands that three military generals will be appointed as governors of the border governorates, and four Muslim Brotherhood leaders will be appointed in Lower Egypt. Kandil is making final arrangements before the announcement, and has met most of the new candidates.
According to government sources, Major General Hassan Attiya Allah, former director of the Air Defence College is expected to be named governor of Aswan. Major General Bader Tantawi Ghandour, director of electronic warfare will be nominated as governor of Ismailia, while Major General Samah Mohamed Kandil is in line to take charge in South Sinai.
The four Upper Egypt governorates where Muslim Brotherhood leaders are expected to be named as governors are, Beheira, Menoufia, Kaliobeya and Dakahlia. Gamal Heshmat, a leading Brotherhood figure, has been nominated as governor of Beheira, whilst Hussam Abu Bakr, a member of the Guidance Bureau will be the government's representative in Kaliobeya. Ashour Halawani, senior Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) official in Menoufia, is expected to be named governor in that region, while Subhi Attiya, Dean of Mansoura tourism faculty is the preferred candidate in Dakahlia.
Sources indicated that the Governor of Beni Suef, Judge Maher Baybars, will remain in office for now, with the Governor of Kafr El-Sheikh, Saad al-Husseini also expected to survive the cull.
The last governors reshuffle, carried out in September, saw a change of governors in Cairo, North Sinai, Kafr El-Sheikh, Minya, Sohag, Menoufia, Suez and the Red Sea.