? Hesham Qandil continued his consultations on cabinet formation on Thursday.

? He said the line-up of the new cabinet will be completed Friday and submitted to president Saturday.

? Some incumbent ministers will remain, which will also introduce some young ministers.

Egypt's newly-named Prime Minister Hesham Qandil continued his consultations on cabinet formation on Thursday despite some doubts about his background and abilities.

The 50-year-old former minister of irrigation and water resources said Thursday the line-up of the new cabinet will be completed on Friday and submitted to President Mohamed Morsi Saturday. He reiterated he had no link to the Muslim Brotherhood in response to the claims that he was once a Brotherhood member.

Some incumbent ministers will remain in the new government, which will also introduce some young ministers. The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, of which Morsi was a former chairman, is expected to take several ministerial posts.

More than three weeks after assuming office as the first democratically elected president after the fall of former president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, Morsi appointed Qandil as the new prime minister on Tuesday to replace the current government led by caretaker prime minister Kamal Ganzouri who took office in early December last year.

However, there have been different views about the new young prime minister, who wears beard for religious reasons, like Morsi.

Political analyst with al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies Saed Lawendy said he was surprised by Morsi's choice, saying Qandil had no history of big achievements.

"I was surprised because Qandil worked several months as irrigation minister without any achievements, as was seen from the problem of the Nile water with the Basin states," Lawendy said.

He cast doubt on Qandil's management capabilities. The analyst believed Morsi chose the young prime minister in a bid to bring some innovations to the regime, as a symbol for the revolution stirred by the hands of Egyptian young people.

However, Talaat Rameeh, another political researcher, described Qandil as "a successful person with enough economic and administrative experience."

"Qandil gained economic experience from his posts in the African Development Bank and as irrigation minister," said Rameeh, adding the Nile water issue is one of the most important national interests of Egypt.

Qandil was an independent and patriotic person.

"Qandil has no membership in any political entity, but in fact he has an Islamic trend," Rameeh said. Lawendy argued Qandil was Brotherhood member, but the group denied this.

According to Rameeh, it was important for Morsi to choose someone who has similar ideology to help him carry out his renaissance project.

"Egypt remains a presidential system, not a parliamentary one. The consensus between the president and the prime minister is necessary," he said.

Qandil promised that he will form a government of technocrats with efficiency and good qualities as the main criteria for choosing members.

"I think Qandeel will come up with a technocrat cabinet as he promised, as we need capable and competent people to get Egypt to a safe land," Lawendy said.

"I believe the new cabinet won't focus on a special group, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, but it will rely on the efficiency and the CVs," Rameeh said.

Morsi and Qandil also need to satisfy other political forces, he added.

Qandil said the top priorities of the new cabinet in the coming period would be to fulfill the goals of last year's demonstrations, meet the people's demands and implement Morsi's 100-day programs, in the face of many challenges in the economic, environmental and social domains.

"No doubt Qandil's cabinet is facing very hard economic conditions, but I see the national reconciliation among political forces is most difficult," Rameeh said.

Tough political tasks also lie ahead. The drafting of the new constitution has not been completed amid political row.The fate of the Shura Council (the upper house of parliament) is uncertain. A re-election of parliament will be held.

Related:

Egyptian president appoints Hesham Qandil as new PM

CAIRO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi appointed Irrigation Minister Hesham Qandil as the new prime minister on Tuesday.

Morsi assigned Qandil to form a new cabinet as soon as possible, acting spokesman of the presidency Yasser Ali was quoted by official MENA news agency as saying.Full story