EGYPT’s PRIME MINISTER has resigned according to the country’s armed forces today.

Ahmed Shafiq had tendered his resignation to Egypt’s governing military council who accepted it and appointed a former transport minister to form a new government, according to their Facebook page.

Al Jazeera reports that a military spokesman has confirmed the changes.

Former air force officer Ahmed Shafiq was named prime minister by President Hosni Mubarak shortly after the outbreak of massive anti-government protests in January.

Mubarak stepped down last month but Shafiq stayed in office as the head of a caretaker government.

Leaders of the 18-day uprising that forced Mubarak to step down have been pressing the military to fire Shafiq who had shown a patronising attitude to the revolution.

A brief statement posted Thursday by the military said it had chosen former Transport Minister Essam Sharaf as the new prime minister and tasked him with forming a new Cabinet.

Under similar circumstances, Tunisia’s prime minister was forced to resign over the weekend as protests against Arab governments continue.

- additional reporting by AP