Activists criticized what they considered to be more militarization of power in Egypt after Sisi issued a decision to appoint a military adviser to each governorate, while ratifying a law prohibiting former army officers from running for any elections without the army's approval.
According to the legal amendment approved by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, each of the 27 governorates in Egypt will have a military advisor and a sufficient number of assistants appointed by the Minister of Defense.
These military advisors will have broad powers, as per the new law, representing the Ministry of Defense in the governorates, field monitoring of services and projects, community outreach to citizens on problems, coordination with relevant authorities in economic, social and security matters, and coordination with educational authorities to implement the military education curriculum.
The law also granted other powers to military advisors, most notably participation in meetings of the provincial executive council, holding meetings with executive leaders if necessary, and submitting reports to the Ministry of Defense or any relevant authorities in matters pertaining to it.
Communication sites witnessed many angry comments, considering what happened as a kind of move towards the militarization of the state and the army's control of the state’s joints and its economic and service activities.
And local reports spoke in recent years about the army's control of half of the Egyptian economy, in contrast to what Sisi said in late 2016 that the army's economic activity equals about 2% of the size of the economy.
Reuters news agency says the army has expanded its role during the Sisi era, including in the economy, as it has companies operating in areas ranging from food to cement production.
Militarization and brotherhood
Sisi came to power in mid-2014, nearly a year after he led a military coup that toppled President-elect Mohamed Morsi, who was the first elected president of a civilian republic in contemporary Egypt, knowing that Sisi was the defense minister when he led the coup that came in the wake of popular protests calling for early elections.
Interestingly, the protests that took place in June 2013 accused Morsi of breaching the state (i.e. by granting positions to members of the Muslim Brotherhood to which he belongs and whose party won the majority of votes in parliament), and then the army-affiliated Sisi came to implement what his opponents described as the militarization of the state at an increasing rate.
According to the Egyptian position on Facebook, the position of the military advisor to the governorate is not new in itself, as it was present in the sixties during the rule of former President Gamal Abdel Nasser, but his role was protocol and very limited and mainly related to the Popular Defense Forces, which was charged with protecting civil places in the event the war.
But the position returns this time with wide disciplines, including supervising projects, communicating with citizens and following up on the provision of services, which are supposed to be among the core competencies of the governor and local councils.
An innocent question, away from the military rule or the coup,
huh, why do you need any military adviser? !!
The person saw this is one case, if the governorates decided to declare war on some of them, I
mean, for example, if the governorate of Alexandria coveted the lands of Beheira Governorate and decided to take over them in this case, the province needed a military advisor pic.twitter.com/WvGvBBBmrW
Khaled Khalid Shehab (@KhaledShehab) July 29, 2020
Al-Sisi worked as a military adviser in each governorate, with five specialties and four powers, no one who
said militarizing the state?
We did not seek greed for the rule of Egypt.
Sisi is determined to occupy Egypt with an integrated occupation. This may be the
governor.
- Green apple (@ Green_Apple_22) July 29, 2020
The text of the Conservatives was originally army brigades or previous ranks !! The appointment of a military adviser, also a non-military ruler, is nothing but to find a new job for the beloved with astronomical salaries as a kind of courtesy for only one direction !!
Instead of what is in an economic consultant or an engineering consultant for scientific assistance in the affairs of the province ?! Do not stay a military adviser !! https://t.co/ZyEwFkHzMG
- Brother Omar® (@Omaralbaiah) July 30, 2020
Militarization # Egypt continues .. # Sisi appoints a military adviser to each governorate in a first-of-its-kind pic.twitter.com/Lbzr7JnyBi
- Monitoring Network (@RassdNewsN) July 30, 2020
You knew that a military advisor was appointed in every governorate ... his powers are stronger than the governor and its president is the president of the republic. A military governor means https://t.co/ebce2tHvWW
- Shawky Bey (@ politicus2006) July 30, 2020
I think that appointing a military adviser to each governorate is a kind of unnecessary waste of public money, as every governorate has all the officials and the military adviser is required to have special guarding and allowances, and all of this is borne by the defeated citizen on his orders, may God protect him, and yes, the attorney, and may our patience be on trial !! https://t.co/9qLtTsuRij
- fouad ahmed (@ fouad20ahmed) July 29, 2020
Prohibition from running
In parallel with the militarization of the provinces, Sisi on Wednesday ratified new legal amendments that prevent former army officers from running for any elections without the consent of the army, which activists considered a desire to close the road to any possible opposition to Sisi by former army leaders.
The parliament, which was almost without strong opposition to the authority, had approved this amendment on the sixth of this July.
In the past, only military officers who were still in service were prohibited from engaging in political activity or contesting elections without the permission of the army, but new amendments also prevent even those whose service has ended from running for any elections, whether presidential, parliamentary or even local.
Annan and Qanswa
Al-Sisi's fear of competing with his senior officers was apparent when the authorities arrested Sami Annan, the former army chief of staff in 2018, after the army accused him of seeking to run in the presidential elections without permission.
According to Reuters, Annan was seen at the time as the main rival to Sisi in his bid to win a second term, and Annan remained in prison until he was released last December.
Annan was not in service at the time he announced his intention to run, but the army said Annan was called up for military service after retirement, while a spokesman for Annan denied any laws were broken.
The prosecution was not limited to Annan, and on December 19, 2017, a military court sentenced the army officer, Colonel Ahmed Qanswa, to six years in prison for announcing on social media his intention to run in the presidential elections against Sisi.
With regard to the law to prevent the candidacy of the military, the page of the Egyptian position calls into question its consistency with the Egyptian constitution and laws, as it prohibits any soldier even if he resigns or retires from running in any elections even if the local elections are not related to politics but are mainly related to service matters.
According to the page, the military person is a citizen with rights, and if some of them can be restricted according to the conditions of his job, then this is within certain limits, especially for those in sensitive leadership and security positions, and some countries impose a certain period before restoring political rights to ensure that the previous position is not used, but constitutionally it cannot Generalizing depriving citizens of their political rights for life in this absolute manner.