Overview
The prime minister of Egypt is the head of the Egyptian government. A direct translation of the Arabic-language title is "Minister-President of Egypt" and "President of the Government". The Arabic title can also be translated as "President of the Council of Ministers", as is the case with the Prime Minister of Syria, despite the Arabic title being the same in Syria and Egypt.
History
Egypt has a long history with a prime minister-type position existing in its governance. Under various Islamic Empires, Egypt had Viziers, a political office similar in authority and structure (in terms of being second in command to the Head of State) to that of a prime minister. During the Old, Middle, and New Kingdom phases of Ancient Egypt, it was common practice for the Pharaoh to appoint a second in command officer whose position is translated to as Vizier. This pattern of having a prime minister/vizier position in government was only broken for an extended period of time during Roman and Sassanid governance of Egypt, in which Egypt was directly ruled by appointed Governors. Then with the founding of modern Egypt and the advent of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, premiership and cabinets in their current definitions started appearing in Egypt parallel to the country's first modern constitutions and parliaments. The office of Prime Minister of Egypt was established in 1878 during the reign of Khedive Ismail, along with the Cabinet of Egypt. After the abolition of the monarchy in 1953, the Egyptian government maintained the position of prime-minister.
In the late 1970s, Egypt had several cohabitation governments which proved to be unstable, due to the struggle arising between the president and the prime minister. From 1981 until 2011, the National Democratic Party had maintained a majority in the People's Assembly and supplied the Egyptian president. The National Democratic Party was dissolved by the supreme administrative court on 16 April 2011, following the Egyptian uprising which eventually caused the resignation of Hosni Mubarak.
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