In surprise announcement, Egypt’s interim prime minster says his government has resigned

CAIRO – Egypt’s interim prime minister says his Cabinet has resigned.

Hazem el-Beblawi’s military-backed government was sworn in on July 16, less than two weeks after the army ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after a year in office.

The government’s surprise resignation, announced by el-Beblawi in a live TV broadcast, comes amid a host of strikes, including one by public transport workers and garbage collectors. An acute shortage of cooking gas has also been making front page news the past few days.

It was not immediately clear who will replace el-Beblawi, who has often been derided in the media for his perceived indecisiveness and inability to introduce effective remedies to the country’s economic woes.