ECIA Briefing – 23 May 2012

Egypt’s presidential election is hailed by some as the consolidation of at least part of the goals of the January 2011 uprising which saw Mubarak’s removal. While the novelty of genuine uncertainty surrounding the outcome of elections in Egypt cannot be underestimated, the elections take place in a constitutional vacuum in which even the Presidency’s own powers remain unclear. Moreover, whatever the result of the election itself, the basic obstacles on the way to democracy remain largely unaddressed, especially Security Sector Reform (SSR), civil-military relations, and a range of burning issues from economic growth to social justice which drove the uprising in the first place. In order to avoid past policy impasses, Egypt’s engagement on such thorny issues should be supported.

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