Egypt swore in a newly reshuffled cabinet on Thursday, in the wake of almost two weeks of protests in which demonstrators have demanded a faster pace of reforms.

The ceremony had been postponed from Monday after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf became ill.

There are at least 14 new ministers in the 27-member cabinet, including those for foreign affairs and finance.

Reformists have been pressing the country's interim military rulers to speed up the pace of purging and prosecuting officials from former President Hosni Mubarak's government who are blamed for violence and corruption.

Some demonstrators have camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square to press their demands.

On Wednesday, the ruling military council announced it would not allow international observers to monitor upcoming elections.

General Mamdouh Shaheen said that barring foreign monitors was necessary to protect Egypt's sovereignty.

He told reporters in Cairo that the parliamentary vote will be held before the end of the year and that the military would set an exact date after September 18. He said the upcoming election would take place in three stages and that 15-day periods would separate each round.

The general said the staggered vote would ensure judges are able to thoroughly monitor the polling.

In a notable change from elections held under Mr. Mubarak, he said the judiciary would oversee the process, not the Interior Ministry, which many Egyptians say often fixed the vote to help the ruling party.