Egypt's cabinet to resign: state TV

CAIRO - Egypt's interim government presided by Prime Minister Hazem Beblawi announced to resign after the cabinet meeting on Monday, State-run Nile TV reported. ?

"Today the cabinet took a decision to tender its resignation to the president of the republic," Beblawi said in a televised statement after the meeting. ?

The cabinet had done its best to tackle issues of security and economy, but making mistakes is unavoidable, he said, adding "Any government without the support of society could do nothing."

Beblawi's government was set up last July after the army toppled former president Mohamed Morsi following mass protests against his one-year rule.

The decision was made after a 15-minute cabinet meeting, state- run Ahram website said.

Ibrahim Mahlab, Minister of Housing in Beblawi's government, will likely lead the new cabinet, the report added.

The announcement comes ahead of Egypt's presidential election due to be held by mid-April.

There have been speculations of a major cabinet reshuffle with the resignation of Egypt's military chief and Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, but not the whole cabinet. Sisi has to resign from the government and the army before he officially announces his bid to run for president.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Bahaa-Eddin, also the Minister of International Cooperation, tendered his resignation.

Earlier in February, Amr Moussa, head of the 50-member panel that wrote the constitution, said "The field marshal made his final decision to run for the president and he will officially announce it to public this month."

So far, only the leftist leader Hamdeen Sabahy declared on Saturday to run for president, the first candidate who officially announced to join the election, while Abdel Moneim Abou el-Fotouh, Islamist ex-presidential candidate, announced not to run for the post describing what happened in Egypt as "absurd".