Egypt’s interim leader names new prime minister

Egypt’s interim leader names new prime minister

Egypt’s interim leader names new prime minister

CAIRO — Egypt’s military-backed interim leader, Adly Mansour, named a new prime minister and won $8 billion in promises of aid from wealthy Arab allies in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday in moves aimed at stabilizing a political transition less than a week after the army deposed Mohammed Morsi, the Islamist president.

The Muslim Brotherhood denounced the transition plan, vowing to continue its street protests until Morsi, the country’s first freely elected president, is returned to power.

The appointment of economist Hazem el-Beblawi as prime minister, along with the setting of the accelerated timetable, underlined the military’s determination to push ahead in the face of Islamist opposition.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates provided a welcome boost for the new leadership. The two countries, both opponents of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, celebrated his ouster by showering the cash-strapped Egyptian government with promises of $8 billion in grants, loans and badly needed gas and oil.