Egypt's new Prime Minister Hashim Qandil

Egypt's new Prime Minister Hashim Qandil

Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has appointed Hashim Qandil, the current irrigation minister, as the new prime minister of the North African nation. Last year, Qandil was appointed as irrigation and water resources minister after the fall of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

After completing his undergraduate level in faculty of Engineering of Cairo University in 1984, Qandil continued his academic education in the US and obtained his Master's degree and Doctorate from North Carolina University in irrigation and drainage engineering.

He also worked as the head of the Nile sector in the African Development Bank.

Sworn in on June 30, Morsi is locked in a power struggle with the powerful Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

The parliament, dominated by Muslim Brotherhood lawmakers, was dissolved in line with a ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court, based on a decision by the military, prior to the presidential elections.

Morsi was elected president on June 24 in a runoff against Ahmed Shafiq, who served as ousted dictator Mubarak's last prime minister.