Egyptian PM hospitalised; new Cabinet's oath-taking put off

Sharaf's condition was stable and the main reason for the lapse was exhaustion, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Cabinet said.

The Egyptian Prime Minister, who was hospitalised after he reportedly fainted in his office, had reshuffled his Cabinet amid mounting pressure from protesters demanding new policies and a change in the old power structure.

The protesters, camping in Tahrir Square for the past two weeks, are angry over the slow pace of reforms since the caretaker government took over the nation's affairs after President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February in the wake of a mass uprising.

The new Cabinet was expected to be sworn in yesterday in front of the Supreme Council for Armed Forces, which has been managing the country since the ouster of 83-year-old Mubarak.

A last-minute objection over the man chosen for Minister of Antiquities by experts in the field had earlier delayed the entire process for one day.

The Prime Minister's health condition has further delayed the swearing in ceremony.

Before Sharaf's health crisis, the state news agency MENA said he had postponed the ceremony for consultations with other ministers. However, it gave no date for the new ceremony.

State television has dubbed the new government as "The Revolution Cabinet" but many protesters still see the changes as insufficient.
Tension has been on the rise in Egypt over the military rulers' reluctance to act against Mubarak and his loyalists.

In one of the most sustained campaigns to pressure the military since it took charge in February, protesters have camped out in Tahrir for nearly two weeks demanding an overhaul of government.