Wednesday, the former Prime Minister of Egypt, Kamal el-Ganzouri died at the age of 88 after a long struggle with illness, according to Egyptian sources.

Ganzouri was famously named the Minister of the Poor and the Minister of the Opposition, due to his work which specialized in helping the low-income individuals.

Ganzouri was born in the village of Jarwan in Al-Bagour Center in the Monufia Governorate on Jan. 12, 1933. He earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Michigan before returning to Egypt in the early 1960s.

He served as the governor of El Wadi El Jadid, then the governor of Beni Suef before running the National Planning Institute, then becoming Minister of Planning and Deputy Prime Minister.

He held the position of Egyptian Prime Minister from Jan. 4, 1996 to Oct. 5, 1999. The Military Council then assigned him to form the government on Nov. 25, 2011.