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Egypt's Prime Minister Shafiq resigns

Egyptian anti-government protesters attend a rally after Friday prayers in Tahrir Square Feburary 25, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Hundreds of Egyptians attend a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square calling for an end to the long running state of emergency and to demand the Egyptian cabinet step down. UPI\ Mohammed Hosam
Egyptian anti-government protesters attend a rally after Friday prayers in Tahrir Square Feburary 25, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Hundreds of Egyptians attend a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square calling for an end to the long running state of emergency and to demand the Egyptian cabinet step down. UPI\ Mohammed Hosam | License Photo

CAIRO, March 3 (UPI) -- Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said it accepted Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq's resignation and tasked a former minister to form a new cabinet.

The ruling council's decision to accept Shafiq's resignation came a day before another planned million-man protest demanding Shafiq's resignation, al-Masry al-Youm reported.

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Former Transportation Minister Essam Sharaf will lead efforts to form a new cabinet, the military council posted on its Facebook page. Sharaf was transportation minister in 2004 under President Hosni Mubarak's government, but resigned after a train crash.

Media reports indicate Sharaf participated in the anti-regime protests that led to Mubarak's resignation Feb. 11, al-Masry al-Youm said. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces took over the country's administration after Mubarak resigned.

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