/ world today news/ Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was re-elected for a new presidential term, receiving 89.6 percent of the vote. In the December 10-12, 2023 elections, al-Sisi is running for the third time and, according to the country’s current constitution, for the last time.
Egypt’s National Electoral Commission reported that the percentage of people who voted in the election was the highest in the country’s history, with a participation rate of 66.8%.
Reuters, commenting on the situation, notes that this is “the result of qualitative changes that have occurred in the political consciousness of Egyptians, which have established themselves as a recognition of the power structure established in the country after the military eliminated the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization banned in Russia federation), and the collapse of the so-called “Islamic alternative” floating in the air not only in Egypt.
Let us recall that after the overthrow of Mubarak in June 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) was seen as an attractive alternative to the “dictatorship of the military”, but due to their inability to solve Egypt’s deep structural problems – widespread corruption , chronic unemployment and deep religious divisions – they lost power and were overthrown by the Egyptian army.
Now, in his victory speech, al-Sisi declared that he would be “the voice of Egyptians in realizing their dreams and completing the national dialogue,” outlining the goal of building a New Republic that “we seek to establish, in accordance with the common vision of a democratic state that unites us in respecting the Constitution and the law.”
In a broader context, intentions are being demonstrated to return Egypt to the role of a leading power in the Arab world. But in a narrow sense, Cairo continues to gradually emerge from the geopolitical labyrinth built during the rule of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization banned in the Russian Federation).
Cairo then began to distance itself from the US and target Iran, which caused concern among the Gulf monarchies, most notably Saudi Arabia. At the same time, Morsi tried to attract different support from Turkey and Qatar, relying on these countries as support in the region.
Support for the Palestinian Hamas, akin to the Muslim Brotherhood (an organization banned in the Russian Federation), was also a new component of Egyptian foreign policy at the time.
Al-Sisi, especially in the last two years, has sought to “right the wrongs”, began to build new allied relations with the Gulf monarchies, strengthened ties with Arab and African countries, built “bridges” with Iran and Turkey, and actively participated in the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Finally, he managed to find a convenient formula for interaction not only with the USA, but also with Russia. Moreover, Cairo manages to combine geopolitical, political and economic vectors in its foreign policy, defining them as a guarantee of stability.
But if Cairo’s policy in the Middle East is still in “working” condition, then its return to Africa is a fait accompli.
However, there are important nuances related to Libya, which has long been in a failed state and threatens to become a sanctuary for the so-called “wars of Islam.”
Therefore, the strengthening of Islamists there, close to the Brotherhood (an organization banned in the Russian Federation), forces Cairo to take targeted measures.
In the Palestinian direction, al-Sisi has managed to maintain his role essentially as the leading mediator between the Palestinians and the Israelis. However, Cairo does not support Hamas.
By the way, the French publication Atlantico, describing El-Sisi’s reforms after coming to power in Egypt, wrote that he “in Europe resembles the fate of Bonaparte, who became an ordinary gravedigger of the French Revolution, as he has great charisma.”
Indeed, now in the Middle East, unlike Europe, such political charismatics as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appear on the political scene.
Because Sisi is one of them, which is confirmed by the voting results. At the same time, it is a direct product of the so-called “Arab Spring” phenomenon, whose supporters in Egypt “despise any man in uniform.”
At the same time, many in Egypt understand that they have no serious alternative and prefer a military in power to chaos. But while El-Sisi enjoys the support of the military, he will continue to attract angry criticism from liberal pundits for a long time to come.
According to them, he formed a kind of “enlightened dictatorship” in the country, ensuring order. Now it is important to win on the economic field.
We are primarily talking about solving the most complex problems of the economy, continuing the course of structural reforms with a transition to large-scale development plans, in particular in the field of agriculture and transport, the construction of agro-industrial enterprises and roads.
Particular hopes are placed on the offshore gas field in Egypt’s territorial waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, any new revolution is contraindicated for Egypt, although it may encounter periodic social movements. It is for this purpose that Cairo provides a security system around itself. So far it’s working.
Translation: SM
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