Ahmed Mekki (politician)

Ahmed Mekki (born 1941) was the Minister of Justice of Egypt from 2 August 2012 until he submitted his resignation to President Morsi on 20 April 2013.[1] He was a member of the Qandil Cabinet.[2] Mekki was one of the independent ministers in the cabinet.[3] He is the brother of the former vice president Mahmoud Mekki, who resigned from office on 22 December 2012.[4][5]

Ahmed Mekki
Minister of Justice
In office
2 August 2012 – 20 April 2013
PresidentMohamad Morsi
Prime MinisterHesham Qandil
Preceded byAdel Abdel Hamid
Succeeded byAhmed Sulaiman
Personal details
Born1941 (age 82–83)
Political partyIndependent
Alma materAlexandria University

Early life and education

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Mekki was born in 1941.[6] He studied law at Alexandria University and graduated in 1961.[6]

Career

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Mekki is the former deputy head of the Court of Cassation, Egypt’s highest appeals court.[7][8] He was also the chairman of the fact-finding Committee in the Egyptian Judges Club.[3]

On 2 August 2012, he began to serve as minister of justice in the cabinet led by prime minister Hesham Qandil, replacing Adel Abdel Hamid.[9] Although Mekki was an independent member of the cabinet, he is close to the Muslim Brotherhood.[10] Mekki resigned from office on 20 April 2013.[11] His resignation was due to pressure from both the opposition and Brotherhood supporters.[12] In a reshuffle of May 2013, Ahmed Sulaiman was appointed minister of justice, succeeding Mekki in the post.[13][14]

Views

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Mekki is a strong supporter of judicial independence.[8] He was known as "a reformist judge", and "the revolution’s representative" in Qandil’s government.[8][15] After his appointment, Mekki argued that Egypt is an Islamic state governed by Islamic traditions.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Egyptian justice minister resigns". Reuters. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  2. ^ Sarah Sirgany (2 August 2012). "Egypt Cabinet ministers sworn in". CNN. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Egypt's Newly Appointed Cabinet Ministers" (PDF). American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  4. ^ Lipin, Michael (13 August 2012). "Egypt Reshuffle Puts New Defense Chief, Vice President in Spotlight". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Egyptian VP Mahmoud Mekki resigns amid constitution vote". Deutsche Welle. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Ahmed Mekky". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Egypt's new government ministers sworn in". France 24. AFP. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Ashour, Omar (7 August 2012). "Egypt's New Old Government". Project Syndicate. Cairo. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  9. ^ "Meet the ministers: A thumbnail guide". Al Ahram. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  10. ^ El Din, Gamal Essam (3 August 2012). "Egypt PM Qandil makes some surprise, controversial ministerial choices". Ahram Online. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  11. ^ Gamaleddine, Sayed (21 April 2013). "Egypt's justice minister Ahmed Mekki resigns: Judicial sources". Ahram Online. Retrieved 21 April 2013.
  12. ^ Azeem, Zenobia (21 April 2013). "Brotherhood Demands Judicial Purge in Egypt". Al Monitor. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Egypt's Morsi Brings More Islamists into Cabinet". Voice of America. Reuters. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  14. ^ El Din, Gamal Essam (7 May 2013). "A disappointing reshuffle". Al Ahram Weekly. 1152. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Egypt's government: It's time to get to know the ministers". Egypt Business. 5 August 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2013.
  16. ^ "Minister of Justice to MCN: It is normal for the ruling systm [sic] and judiciary be influenced by Sharia with no discrimination between Muslims and Copts". Cairo: MCN. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.