The initiative called for a full change of cabinet, a prime minister acceptable to all, changing the public prosecutor, agreement on constitutional amendments, and a reconciliation commission.
As recently as Tuesday the president, prime minister and top military officer had agreed on what Mr. Haddad called "an excellent path for Egypt out of its current impasse," he wrote, including "a full change of cabinet, a prime minister acceptable to all, changing the public prosecutor, agreement on constitutional amendments, and a reconciliation commission".
As for the "article calling for a change of cabinet," Greeley vowed that he had not written it.
This article was amended on 4 March 2018 to include a reference to Wilson-Raybould's change of cabinet portfolio.
After all, a change of cabinet in Japan, where 33 prime ministers have served since the end of World War II, is routine.
"In a transition period, you could have a change of cabinet every few weeks," said Samer Soliman, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo.
The embarrassing string of cabinet changes may have been an important factor in Mr. Chrétien's decision to step down in February 2004 rather than seek a fourth term.
A series of cabinet changes and accusations that ministers have done favors for friends and granted contracts to corporate allies have embarrassed the Liberals and made them look vulnerable for the first time in years.
