"Given the limited time, there is an acceptance of this government continuing until the presidential election," said Essam el-Erian, deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the biggest group in parliament.

The Brotherhood had led calls for the military council to sack Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri and appoint a new government reflecting the results of the legislative elections, a demand the generals have refused to meet.

The military council is due to hand power to an elected president by the end of June. Egyptians vote on May 23 and 24 in the first round of the presidential election, which is expected to go to a run-off between the top two candidates.

Erian said the reshuffle was "an attempt to contain the crisis between the parliament and government".

The reshuffle of Ganzouri's government encompassed the ministries of labour, higher education, culture and parliamentary affairs. None of the new ministers are members of the Brotherhood.