2 hours ago
Image source: EPA
The National Elections Authority in Egypt announced the date of the presidential elections, as they are scheduled to take place from the tenth to the twelfth of next December inside the country, while voters abroad will vote from the first to the third of the same month.
The announcement of the election date comes amid a stifling economic and living crisis that Egyptians have been suffering recently.
The Electoral Commission called on those wishing to run to submit “their nomination papers that meet the legal and constitutional requirements as of October 5th.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has been in power since 2014, has not yet announced his intention to run for a third presidential term, but it is expected.
Preparation procedures for the elections were scheduled to begin in December, but some believe that the authorities have advanced the election date in a step linked to harsh economic measures that the government may be forced to take in the first months of next year.
Inflation
The crisis of high prices and rising living conditions has imposed itself on the Egyptian street now, as Egyptians are discussing the deteriorating economic situation in their daily conversations, on various types of media, and even on social media.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the focus in any electoral program is on the country’s economic situation.
Egyptians are already suffering from a decline in their purchasing power, with inflation rising to a new record high last month, reaching nearly 40%, after the Egyptian pound has lost about half of its value against foreign currencies since March 2022.
In light of the limited foreign exchange in the country, remittances from Egyptians from abroad, the largest source of hard currency in the country, also declined. According to data from the Central Bank of Egypt, remittances decreased by 26.1 percent in the period between July 2022 and March 2023.
Image source: Reuters
Cost of economic projects
Egypt’s debts have ballooned in light of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s huge projects and the state’s support for many products.
External debt has more than tripled in the last decade, reaching $165.4 billion this year, according to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Planning.
After relying for years on support from the Gulf states in the form of deposits in the central bank, Cairo is trying to sell state assets or launch projects on its lands to Gulf investors.
Since assuming power in 2014, the Egyptian President has launched huge economic projects, most notably the Suez Canal expansion project, which is a major source of foreign exchange, in addition to housing and construction projects, most notably the New Administrative Capital.
Here an important question arises: To what extent have Egyptians benefited from these projects and how have they affected their livelihood?
Supporters of President Sisi, who has not yet officially announced his candidacy, see him as “the natural choice to win the position, as he is the most suitable person to complete development plans and projects in Egypt.” Aside from the economic aspect, which is the most prominent aspect, supporters assert that the authorities have granted a margin of political freedom and that all accusations directed against the Egyptian government are nothing but false accusations from parties hostile to the government.
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As for his opponents, they believe that the economic measures taken during his reign only negatively affected their sources of income and put them in a perpetual suffocating living crisis, and they described those measures as negative. They want to see immediate positive results from the Egyptian government’s economic decisions.
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As for political freedom, some opponents believe that freedoms in Egypt live under an iron grip, so they do not expect any surprise from the results of the elections, which were described as “sham.”
The expected number of candidates in the presidential elections is not yet known, but reports speak of the intention of 6 candidates to run in these elections, most notably the former member of parliament, Ahmed Tantawi, who has already begun his electoral campaign and spoke months ago about the authorities’ pursuit of members of his campaign, in addition to the media figure, Jamila Ismail, president. Constitution Party.
How do Egyptians view holding elections amid deteriorating economic conditions? Will Sisi run for a third term? Is the climate appropriate for holding seriously competitive elections? What are the issues and solutions that Egyptian voters want to see in the candidates’ programs?
We will discuss these topics and others with you in the episode on Wednesday, September 27
Call lines open half an hour before the program at 00442038752989.
If you want to participate by phone, you can send the phone number via email to [email protected]
You can also send phone numbers to our Facebook page through a private message
Or via the X platform using the hashtag @nuqtat_hewar
2023-09-26 15:26:41
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