New Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehlib pleaded with his compatriots to end protests and strikes yesterday, a day after his cabinet was sworn in.

The country has been gripped by three years of deadly unrest since an uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak, with the latest wave of strikes helping unseat ex-PM Hazem el-Beblawi last week.

Mr Mehlib called for an end to opposition activities to give the nation time to rebuild its flagging economy.

“The time for work and productivity has come and no voice must be louder than the voice of construction and development,” said Mr Mehlib, a construction magnate who held a senior position in Mr Mubarak’s now-dissolved party.

The new cabinet — the sixth since the 2011 Arab Spring — largely removed ministers from parties formed after the uprising in favour of technocrats and businessmen.

After last week’s surprise resignation there was speculation that army chief Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi would quit his role as defence minister to clear the way for a presidential bid in elections expected later in the year, but the military strongman stayed in the job.

Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim also kept his post despite widespread criticism of the police’s heavy-handed response to the violence.

Leading Social Democratic Party member Ahmed Fawzi said the reshuffle would lead to “the end of politics.”

Dropping political parties paved the way for a return to an all-powerful president with everyone else as mere spectators, he warned.