Egypt: May 2014 update
Egypt goes to the polls on 26 and 27 May to elect a new president amid concerns about repression
• The Muslim Brotherhood has been brutally supressed in Egypt, following the deposition of Mohammed Morsi. Hundreds of his supporters have been sentenced to death.
• The new constitution gained massive approval from those Egyptian voters who turned out for the referendum in January 2014
• There is widespread concern at the threat from terrorism, especially in the Sinai Peninsula
• Egyptian public opinion still seems to be broadly supportive of the new regime and the leader of the coup against Mohammed Morsi, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, looks likely to win the forthcoming election easily.
• UK politicians have expressed concern about the removal of the Muslim Brotherhood president and the death sentences handed down to some of his supporters.
• The UK has warned against travel to certain areas of the country and has suspended some arms export licences.