Justice Minister Ahmed Mekki submitted his resignation to President Mohamed Morsi on Sunday, he told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
President Mohamed Morsi had revealed on Saturday that a partial reshuffle to Hesham Qandil’s cabinet was imminent, as well as changes with several governors. “The most efficient will assume responsibility,” Morsi said in a tweet.
Cabinet spokesperson Alaa al-Hadidy said that Mekki will continue his work as justice minister until a replacement is named as part of Morsi's Cabinet reshuffle.
Mekki's tendered resignation also comes after thousands of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood staged mass protests on Friday to demand his removal and the purging of the judiciary. The Brotherhood’s political rivals believe the protests are aimed at pushing for a draft law on judicial authority championed by the group, a law which is rejected by a wide sector of judges.
“Since you assigned me to the Justice Ministry, your opponents have been pressing me to resign, given my earlier positions,” Mekki said, addressing Morsi in the text of the resignation. “Yesterday, and under the slogan of ‘purging the judiciary,' your supporters agreed on their demand to remove me. A consensus is achieved, therefore," he wrote, urging the president to accept the resign
