Progress in Egypt?
The note looks at the constitutional referendum held in Egypt and on political developments in the country.
The note looks at the constitutional referendum held in Egypt and on political developments in the country.
•
The 77% vote in favour of an amended constitution and early elections will play into the hands of the more conservative forces in Egypt: the Muslim Brotherhood and the remnants of the Mubarak regime’s National Democratic Party
•
Many commentators see tacit cooperation between these two supposed enemies in order to prevent more rapid change
•
At the parliamentary election set for September 2011, a three-way split is foreseen between the former NDP, the Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal groups that powered the uprising
•
If liberal groups fail to unite their forces, it may mean that they fall far short of getting a third of the seats in the new parliament
•
Religious tensions have been on the rise
•
Stopping the economy from collapsing may be the most important job at present.