FJP backs Morsi pick for prime minister

CAIRO, July 24 (UPI) -- The Muslim Brotherhood's political wing in Egypt said it was eager to work with the country's presumptive next prime minister.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi announced Tuesday he appointed former Irrigation Minister Hesham Kandil as the country's prime minister.

Morsi is Egypt's first president elected by democratic vote. He was nominated by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party but has since resigned from the political organization.

Kandil received a doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina. Egyptian news agency al-Ahram said he described himself as a religious person but isn't affiliated with any particular Islamist group in Egypt.

That criteria, the report adds, fits with what senior officials with the Freedom and Justice Party considered their ideal candidate for prime minister.

It remains unclear what role either leader will have in the emerging post-revolution political landscape in Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm is a dominant force in Egyptian politics, though military leaders who assumed control after the revolution wield considerable influence.

Saad el-Hosainy, a FJP member, was quoted by al-Ahram as saying the party supported Morsi's decision

"The FJP will cooperate with the prime minister and the new government to help them accomplish their mission," he said.