Egyptian finance minister fired as Morsi reshuffles cabinet Egypt has reshuffled nine ministers, removing two involved in crucial loan negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and increasing the representation of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood group. Fayyad Abdel Moneim, a professor of Islamic economy with no previous experience in government, has taken over the finance portfolio replacing Al Morsy Hegazi, another Islamic finance specialist who had been in post since January. Amr Darrag, a senior Muslim Brotherhood figure and a professor of engineering, replaces Ashraf al-Arabi as planning minister. Mr Hegazi and Mr Arabi had both played central roles in talks with the IMF to secure a $4.8bn loan. The investment portfolio has gone to Yehia Hamid, a Brotherhood member and a former marketing executive who once worked for Vodafone. Ahmed al-Gizawi, the new agriculture minister, is also from the Brotherhood With the new appointments, the Brotherhood now occupies at least ten positions in the 35-member cabinet. The portfolios of justice, oil, culture, antiquities and parliamentary affairs have also changed hands. Though Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian president, is a Brotherhood official, the group has shrugged off criticism of government policy insisting that they do not control it. Hisham Kandil, the prime minister, does not come from within their ranks. Despite repeated opposition calls for his departure, Mr Kandil remains in post and Mr Morsi has made clear that he would not replace him before parliamentary elections expected later this year. Mr Kandil's critics accuse him of weak and hesitant leadership. An irrigation engineer, many charge that he is not up to the job of leading the government of the Arab world's most populous nation at a time of economic crisis and increased domestic instability. The president has also refused to sack the interior minister, Mohamed Ibrahim, who is accused by activists and human rights groups of taking a harsher stance on dissent and of reviving practices such as torture of detainees. The secular and liberal opposition has said it would not take part in the election expected later this year unless there was a new government and guarantees of the neutrality of ministries involved in the administration of the vote. The opposition has dismissed the reshuffle as insufficient. Amr Moussa, a former presidential candidate and now one of the leaders of National Salvation Front opposition alliance, described it as another step towards "the total Brotherhoodisation of the state." "Wouldn't it have been more useful to take a different step towards [wider political] participation and national consensus?" he said.