Latest news with #Abdel-FattahAl-Sisi
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Parliament ready for elections - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
On Sunday, MPs approved amendments to three laws: Law 40/2014 regulating the performance of the House of Representatives; Law 174/2020 regarding the division of the House's electoral districts; and Law 141/2020 regulating the election and performance of the second chamber, the Senate. The amendments were drafted and submitted by Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, the spokesman of the parliamentary majority party Mostaqbal Watan (the Nation's Future), and 60 MPs. The amendments to the House law state that the number of elected MPs will stand at 568 — in addition to 28 appointees — in line with articles 87 and 102 of Egypt's 2019 amended constitution. Article 3 of Law 40/2014 states that half this number (284 seats) will be elected via the individual candidacy system (independent candidates), and half (another 284 seats) through the closed list system. An additional 28 MPs (five per cent) will be appointed by the president, and 25 per cent of the total number of House seats (125) are reserved for women. Article 4 states that Egypt will be divided into several districts designated for electing individual candidates (independents), while four districts will be reserved for electing candidates on the closed lists. Two of these districts are allocated 80 seats (40 each), and the other two districts are allocated 204 seats (102 each). Article 5 indicates that each list that is allocated 40 seats must include at least 20 women candidates, three Christian candidates, two candidates representing workers and farmers, two representing young people, one representing the physically disabled, and one representing Egyptian expatriates. In addition, each list allocated 102 candidates must include at least 51 women candidates, nine Christian candidates, six candidates representing workers and farmers, six representing young people, three representing special needs individuals, and three representing Egyptian expatriates. During the one-day debate on the law, sharp divisions emerged between political parties and independent MPs over the election system for the upcoming parliamentary elections. Opposition MPs insisted that the amendments adopting the closed list system in the election represent a stark violation of the recommendations passed by the National Dialogue last year. The dialogue, held upon the instructions of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi between 2022 and 2024, recommended that an open proportional list system be adopted in the 2025 election to elect all the House and Senate members or a mix of three election systems — individual, closed, and open proportional lists — be used so that 50 per cent of MPs and senators are elected through the first, 25 per cent through the second, and 25 through the third. Al-Qasabi said the amendments to the three laws are in keeping with articles 87 and 102 of Egypt's 2019 amended constitution, which give citizens the right to vote and run in elections and also obliges legislators to observe the division of electoral districts according to a set of criteria, including population growth and geographical location. 'As a result, amendments reflect the population increase that has exceeded 7,400,000 people since 2020 when the last parliamentary election was held,' said Al-Qasabi, adding that 'this fact necessitated the submission of a new draft that takes this change into account, establishes the principle of equality and justice, and achieves balance between the various governorates, so that the next parliament can reflect Egypt's demographic map in a just and comprehensive manner.' Al-Qasabi said the draft law's maintenance of the closed list system was largely because it ensures that marginalised groups such as women, Christians, workers, farmers, youth, the disabled, and expats are fairly represented on party lists. Al-Qasabi added that the closed list system was also the best option for Egypt as it helps preserve internal stability and creates a parliament with a reliable majority that can vote on important laws and agreements. 'This is quite impossible with the open proportional list system because it only leads to creating a fragmented parliament without a majority and allows 'banned groups' to infiltrate the House and the Senate,' Al-Qasabi said. Mustafa Bakri, an independent MP, said the 50-50 election system (50 per cent for individuals and 50 per cent for party lists) is in line with the constitution. 'We saw how the 25-75 system [25 per cent for individuals and 75 per cent for party lists] was invalidated by the Supreme Constitutional Court and led to parliament being dissolved in 2012,' said Bakri, also noting that 'the adoption of the proportional list system was invalidated by the court in 1948.' The closed system means that a party which wins 51 per cent of the votes in any district will take all that district's seats. This is different from the proportional list system in which each party list is allocated seats in proportion to the votes it wins per district. Opposition MPs, however, teamed up to attack the amendments. Ahmed Al-Sharqawi, an MP affiliated with the leftist Egyptian Social Democratic Party, said the objective of Al-Sisi's call for a national dialogue was to introduce reforms and save political life from stagnation. 'By maintaining the closed list system, we announce the continuation of the stagnation of political life and lacklustre elections with no competition,' said Al-Sharqawi, adding 'the move also means that the national dialogue was just kind of window-dressing.' MP Ihab Mansour, head of the parliamentary bloc of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, said people had lost interest and confidence in elections in recent years because of the closed list system. 'The number of voters has decreased and turnout rates have declined because people see that there is no serious competition at all under the closed list system and that the election results are a foregone conclusion,' said Mansour. He also explained that in the National Dialogue's sessions 'many visions were presented regarding the electoral system, and all agreed that the open proportional list system can provide fair representation for all marginalised groups, whether Christians, women, youth, the physically challenged, or expats.' Mansour said the size of the districts and the amount of money needed to launch an effective campaign under the closed list system would make it impossible for most political parties to contest the election. 'So just one or two political parties which are rich and pro-regime will run in nominal elections and win the vote,' Mansour said. Joining forces, leftist MP Diaaeddin Dawoud said most of the participants in the National Dialogue called for changing the electoral system to be more inclusive and pluralistic, and that a mix of the individual and the open proportional list system can achieve this. 'The consensus over the proportional list system shows that people are dissatisfied with the closed list system as it creates toothless parliaments with fake majority parties that do nothing but rubber-stamp laws,' Dawoud said. MPs also approved a draft bill on the composition and election of the Senate. The draft envisions a 300-member Senate, with a third of members elected via the closed list system, another third through the individual system, and the remaining third named by the president. Ten per cent of the seats will be reserved for women. Article 3 of Law 141/2020 states that Egypt will be divided into 27 districts designated for electing individual candidates (independents), while four districts will be reserved for electing candidates on the closed lists. Two of these districts are allocated 74 seats (37 each), and the other two districts are allocated 26 seats (13 each). * A version of this article appears in print in the 29 May, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Sisi lambasts ‘acts against humanity' - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's frustration with Israel's statements and policies was strongly manifested in Al-Sisi's statement at the Arab Summit In a brief statement to an extraordinary Arab Summit that convened in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss the fate of Gaza beyond the Israeli war, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi blamed Israel for its 'shameful acts against humanity'. Al-Sisi spoke at the opening of the summit that convened upon an Egyptian initiative to discuss the future of Gaza following broad rejection of US President Donald Trump's scheme to expel Palestinians out of the Strip and have them moved to Egypt and Jordan — or elsewhere. The Egyptian president refrained from naming Israel throughout his statement, using, nonetheless, strongly-worded phrases to blame Israel for its 'ferocious aggression on Gaza that aimed to eliminate its livelihood capacity with the intention of expelling Gazans out of the Strip.' This was one of the strongest references by a head of state to the Israeli war on Gaza that had been otherwise blamed, at least partially, in official corridors for the miscalculated attack that Hamas launched against Israel on 7 October 2023 in what prompted a 15-month Israeli war. Egypt, Al-Sisi said, is not going to take part in the scheme to get Gazans out of their land. Out of its traditional commitment to support the legitimate Palestinian rights, he added, Egypt will 'stand up to defy the attempt to forcibly expel Palestinians out of their land.' Egypt, he stressed, will not stand idly by while Palestinians are being forced to choose between 'extinction and forcible expulsion'. Al-Sisi said that 'the inhumane practices that were exercised against the Palestinian people might have weakened the will of some' to support the Palestinians' rights. However, he added, the resolve and resilience of the Palestinian people have not been compromised despite the atrocities of the war. 'The collective memory of humanity will for long be bewildered by what happened in Gaza and will register the shocking damage that was made to humanity by this war,' Al-Sisi said. He added that the Israeli war on Gaza has left 'an imprint of shame that will for long be marked in the history of humanity.' Al-Sisi said that the war on Gaza was about 'spreading hatred and undermining humanity' in the absence of justice. 'The children and women of Gaza who lost [their] families and who [saw] tens of thousands [of Gazans] being eliminated by the war are now watching this summit wishing to regain hope in just and perpetual peace,' the president said. 'This peace is unattainable,' he added, 'if Palestinians cannot have their independent state.' Al-Sisi noted that it was Egypt that started the path for Middle East peace some 50 years ago and that it remains committed to a just peace. The crisis in Gaza, Al-Sisi said, is part of a wider and more complex regional dilemma that undermines the foundations of Arab regional security in violation of the norms of justice and international law. To avoid regional complications, the president added, Egypt has tried to halt the war from the beginning. 'The ceasefire was only possible with the appreciated intervention of President Donald Trump,' Al-Sisi said, pointing out that Egypt hopes to continue working with the Trump administration to consolidate the ceasefire that went into effect in January. Meanwhile, Egypt is working to help qualify security and administrative cadres to allow for an adequate Palestinian management of Gaza ahead of a humanitarian relief operation and reconstruction plan, he said. Egypt is going to host a conference next month on Gaza reconstruction, he added. Al-Sisi denounced the 'attacks and violations' against Palestinians in West Bank refugee camps. He also condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Criticising the 'deliberate violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque', Al-Sisi stated 'Jerusalem is not just a city; it is a symbol of our identity and our cause.' * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Summit on Gaza: Basics established - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
How far could Cairo's extraordinary Arab Summit really go in containing the horrific humanitarian and political situation facing the population of Gaza? Egypt is planning to host an international conference for the reconstruction of Gaza based on the conclusions of the extraordinary Arab Summit that convened on Tuesday in Cairo and endorsed the Egyptian plan on Gaza — an alternative to the American scheme to displace Strip residents. The conference was announced by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi during his statement to the summit which he co-chaired with Bahraini King Hamad bin Eissa Al-Khalifa. Bahrain is the current chair of the Arab Summit. The reconstruction conference, said President Al-Sisi, is part of Egypt's ongoing commitment to help Gazans overcome the destruction caused by 'the ferocious war on the Gaza Strip that aimed to destroy livelihoods and use military power to evict Gazans from their land.' The final communiqué adopted by the summit underlined the urgent need for reconstruction despite a lack of commitment to the details of Egypt's reconstruction plan. The communiqué expressed Arab countries' commitment to supporting the rights of the Palestinians and ending the historical injustice against them. The communiqué also underlined the firm rejection to any form of forced displacement of Palestinians. However, it made no clear pledges or commitments on the part of the member states participating in the summit. Egyptian official and political sources concede that the language of the final communiqué could have been stronger. They also say that the level of representation of Arab League member states could have been higher, especially given the participation of the UN secretary-general and other international figures who came to Cairo to discuss ways to give Gazans a chance to rebuild their lives. 'We had higher expectations, of course, especially in view of the strong push from Washington to expel Palestinians from Gaza, but we had no choice but to work with the available common denominators to try and reach some level of consensus,' said an Egyptian source. He added that as Arab leaders arrived at the meeting hall on Tuesday afternoon, there was at least agreement 'on the basics of a collective Arab opposition to the forced expulsion of Gazans'. While ultimately nobody is going to say that the position adopted by the Arab Summit was neither uncompromising nor strong, the source said the fact that the summit had convened, 'even with fewer Arab leaders than Cairo had hoped for', could help put the brakes on the plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to transfer Gazans to Egypt, Jordan, and other destinations. It was at Egypt's initiative that Arab leaders convened in Cairo to discuss a collective Arab position on the Trump plan. Prior to the summit, Egypt had lobbied for support for a draft plan designed to allow Palestinians in Gaza to remain, with some internal relocations away from the border with Israel, and to launch a reconstruction scheme to reverse the massive damage caused by the 15-month Israeli war on the Strip. The lobbying proved an uphill task, say official and non-official sources who have spoken to Al-Ahram Weekly since Egypt called for the extraordinary summit in February to secure a collective Arab stance against the Trump plan. According to the sources, three issues prompted the most intense debates. The first was the feasibility of the Egyptian proposal to launch a reconstruction plan that does not require the population to be moved. The budget for reconstruction was also contested, with some countries taking issue with investing funds in reconstruction given that they anticipate it is only a matter of time before Hamas and other militant resistance factions engage in a new operation that Israel will seize on as a pretext to restart the war. The sources said that as far as the Arab Gulf states are concerned, there are no guarantees that an Israeli attack on Gaza will not take place sooner rather than later. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued repeated threats to resume the bombardment of Gaza if Hamas does not release the remaining Israeli hostages and bodies of hostages, irrespective of any Israeli decision to delay negotiations over the start of the second phase of the truce which was supposed to start this week. According to one source, Qatar, and to a lesser extent Kuwait, were willing to pitch in funds, at least for the first segment of the over $50 billion reconstruction plan, but neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE, whose leaders absented themselves from the Cairo summit, were willing to move forward with any serious reconstruction investment in the absence of guarantees that the money would not be wasted given the possibility of future confrontations between the militant Palestinian resistance and Israel. Other Arab states, including Algeria, decided to skip the summit to protest against what Algeria qualified as inadequate Arab consultation on the issues being discussed. Sources explained that what the Arab Gulf countries, especially the UAE, want is the total demilitarisation of all militant resistance movements, and a commitment from them to peaceful, non-armed resistance. Reaching a compromise on the issues of reconstruction and a demilitarised resistance proved impossible, say sources. What emerged from the pre-summit rounds of high-level talks, including a limited Arab meeting that convened in Saudi Arabia a little over a week ago, was language that recognises the need to restart a political process, the importance of a prompt reconstruction plan and a general commitment on the part of Arab states to support such a plan, but little else. 'Let's be frank. There are so many differing views on the handling of the Palestinian situation that reaching any consensus is a very difficult task,' said the Egyptian source. He added that different Arab countries have different views and different levels of commitment. The good thing, he argued, is that no Arab state is willing to go against the semi-collective Arab refusal of any plan that involves the forceful expulsion of Gazans, as the Trump plan proposes. Sources agreed that the Arab states differed over the composition of the political entity to be responsible for running Gaza, and its possible association with the Palestinian Authority (PA). In some Arab capitals, including many Arab Gulf countries, the PA is seen as inefficient and politically redundant. Other disagreements focused on economic plans for the future of Gaza and the extent to which the proposal put together by Egypt is based on massive Arab investments without sufficient guarantees about the political stability of Gaza. The language reached during the Arab foreign ministers meeting that convened in Cairo on Monday evening, though at times opaque and a bit too general, was the strongest possible, say sources. They also argue that there was no option but to pursue a consensual plan and say it will now be proposed for discussion with the US, Israel, and other international partners. According to the Egyptian source, Cairo is already in consultation with Washington over possible high-level meetings to decide the next move. Hamas welcomed the communiqué and said in a statement that it represented a collective Arab rejection to the plan to forcibly displace Gazans. For its part, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement that rejected the communiqué as 'delusional'. * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
18-02-2025
- Business
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt exports Cypriot gas to Europe - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
CYPRIOT gas will be transferred to Egypt to be processed and liquefied before being exported to Europe, according to two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed on Monday. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi and his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides chaired the signing ceremony held during the opening of the three-day Egypt Energy Show (EGYPES 2025) in Cairo. According to the first MoU, gas from Block 6 in the offshore Cypriot Cronos Field will be sent to Egypt for processing at the existing Zohr Field facilities in Port Said before being liquefied at the Damietta Liquified Natural Gas Plant (LNG) to be exported to European markets. The agreement involves Italy's Eni Group and the French TotalEnergies, which together own a 50 per cent stake in the Cronos Gas Field. Eni also owns 50 per cent of the Damietta LNG Plant. According to Eni, the Cronos Field, discovered in 2022, has more than three trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas reserves. The agreement facilitates the swift commercialisation of Cypriot gas, taking advantage of Egypt's existing infrastructure including its export facilities, said Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi. The second MoU outlines a framework for processing gas from Cyprus' offshore Aphrodite Field, operated by a consortium led by Chevron, in Egyptian facilities. This deal comes only three days after the Cypriot government approved a revised development and production plan for the Aphrodite Field. The plan includes setting up a floating platform that processes extracted natural gas as well as a pipeline link to Egypt. Cypriot Energy Minister George Papanastasiou said last month the options of whether to use Aphrodite gas for Egypt's domestic energy needs or to process it for export are being weighed. Egypt became a net gas exporter after Eni discovered the Zohr Field in 2015, but its gas production, especially from the Zohr Field, has been falling since 2021, reaching a six-year low last year due to technical issues and an accumulation of overdue payments to international partners. There are high hopes that Egypt will return to the export market by the end of 2026 or early 2027, as Eni resumed drilling in the Zohr Field, the Middle East's largest, in early January. * A version of this article appears in print in the 20 February, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Short link:
