It was another econ-heavy night on the airwaves, as our favorite talk show host Lamees El Hadidi brought us the latest on our IMF loan agreement. The remaining talking heads were hyperfixed on the presidential elections.

War on our border = more money from the IMF? Egypt is well-positioned to secure a larger loan agreement from the IMF given the country’s economic resilience amid unprecedented pressures, House Budget Committee head Fakhri El Fiqi told El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 10:25). “Egypt can commit to a more flexible exchange rate as long as it doesn’t pose a threat to national security,” El Fiqi said, explaining that this can only be achieved if inflation falls to the CBE’s target of 7% (±2%) and the economy has enough FX reserves to be to maintain the price of the EGP against the greenback.

Refresher: The IMF has been slow to move forward with Egypt’s USD 3 bn loan program, with our March and September reviews both getting pushed back as authorities fail to meet the fund’s conditions. Last we heard the fund is “seriously considering” increasing our loan program as the conflict in Gaza poses difficulties for the country, with Egypt reportedly in talks to raise the program to USD 5 bn.

AND- Getting a little patriotic: As Egyptians at home prepare to head to the polls to cast their vote in the 2023 presidential elections, El Hekaya’s Amr Adib (watch, runtime: 1:24) called on his viewers to “respect themselves, their children, and their future” and vote.

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