Egypt's transitional government this month appointed 15 new governors, but grassroots citizens are still not satisfied.

Criticism leveled at the government focused on the fact that the new appointees had not been elected, despite the fact that national elections have not yet taken place.

In addition, the Egyptian public and media complained that the list of new governors included no women, no Coptic Christians and no young people, according to a translation by MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute.

Moreover, many of those chosen were military figures and/or members of the former Mubarak regime, further exacerbating simmering tensions.

Among those who raised red flags among the populace was Adel Labib, an associate of former President Hosni Mubarak and a former officer in the security services. Another was Sarag Al-Din Al-Roubi, governor of Al-Mina, the long-time head of Interpol in Egypt, and the governors of Alexandria, Aswan and Al-Daqahliya, all of whom were members of the former ruling party.

Only nine of the 27 governors are non-military figures and all are Muslim, according to former United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) secretary-general Mohamed ElBaradei, who is now a presidential candidate. Former Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa, also a presidential candidate, called for governors to be appointed on the basis of their professional qualifications rather than based on political criteria.

Twelve of the regional governors remained in their posts, with the regional development minister explaining that elections would be held after the amendment of the Regional Administration Law.