Egyptian prime minister, Cabinet resign; elections are around the corner

Egyptian prime minister, Cabinet resign; elections are around the corner

Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab and his Cabinet resigned Saturday, according to a government statement.

The country's President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, accepted the resignations and asked the Cabinet to keep working on a caretaker basis until a new government is formed.

El-Sisi then gave petroleum minister Sherif Ismail the task of forming a new government, asking him to do so within a week.

Egyptian parliamentary elections are scheduled to begin in October and go through November. Results will be announced in December.