And three. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi was sworn in on Tuesday April 2 before Parliament for his third term at the head of the most populous Arab country, in a context of serious regional tensions and significant economic difficulties.
In power for a decade already, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi is expected to remain in his post until 2030.
The 69-year-old former marshal won the presidential election in December with 89.6% of the vote, against three other candidates little known to the general public - the opposition opponents having been sidelined or imprisoned.
Former head of the army and Minister of Defense, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi had orchestrated in 2013, a year before his accession to the presidency, the dismissal of the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, following massive popular demonstrations.
His mandate, which will begin on Wednesday and for a period of six years, is supposed to be the last in accordance with the Constitution. Unless constitutional amendments are decided again to pave the way for an extension.
According to images of the inauguration ceremony organized on Tuesday and broadcast on state television, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi took his oath in front of the deputies gathered at the headquarters of Parliament, in the new administrative capital that he erected in the desert in east of Cairo.
Read alsoPresidential election in Egypt: Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, ten years of absolute power and realpolitik
The head of state won his first presidential election in 2014, before being re-elected in 2018. He won these two elections with around 97% of the votes.
“I reiterate my commitment to completing the nation-building process,” he said in a speech on Tuesday. “My eyes only look toward your interests and the interests of this country.”
New capital
Abdel Fattah al-Sissi also promised to continue reforms "to realize the aspirations of the Egyptian nation, aimed at building a modern and democratic state."
A great ally of the West in the Middle East, Abdel Fattah al-Sissi is regularly singled out by NGOs for the thousands of political detainees or arrests for online writings. Its detractors criticize the repression of all opposition, whether Islamist or liberal.
His inauguration comes at a time when Egypt is bearing the brunt of the geopolitical repercussions of regional conflicts taking place on its borders: in the East, the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in the South the civil war which is tearing apart Sudan.
Egypt, a country of 106 million inhabitants, a third of whom have been living below the poverty line since well before the crisis, is also experiencing serious economic difficulties, marked by galloping inflation (40% in 2023), a shortage of currencies which hampers trade, and a collapse of the Egyptian pound which has lost two thirds of its value.
In the first quarter of 2024, Egypt nevertheless benefited from an influx of several tens of billions of dollars, including 35 billion from the United Arab Emirates and an extension of 5 billion from an original loan of 3 billion from the International Monetary Fund.
For supporters of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, this influx of foreign currencies should bring the economy back afloat, but observers remain skeptical about improvement without structural reforms aimed at reducing the involvement of the state and the army in the economy.
Tuesday's inauguration also marks, according to local media, the inauguration of the new administrative capital, under construction since 2015 under the leadership of Abdel Fattah al-Sissi.
The $58 billion megaproject is the jewel in the crown illustrating the ambitious and pharaonic major works policy launched by the Egyptian government.
If billions have been invested in modernizing infrastructure, observers point to massive spending which has caused the country's debt to explode.
Over the past decade, foreign debt has more than tripled, reaching $165 billion, according to figures from the Central Bank. Foreign currency reserves are at $35 billion.
With AFP
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