Foreign publications also took note of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s appointment of Ahmed Aboul Azm as the head of Maglis Al Dawla (Council of State), against the wishes of some of the nation’s top judges who had nominated Yehia El Dakroury for the job. The move risks a backlash from the judiciary says, the Associated Press, which notes that El Dakroury was the judge who issued the ruling revoking the Tiran and Sanafir island handover agreement with Saudi Arabia in 2016. Reuters also has the story.

It’s not just the judiciary that’s at odds with El Sisi, as a number of the president early supporters are now also criticizing his rule and method, Reuters’ Amina Ismail says, explaining that issues such as the handover of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi and restriction of freedoms, are the main drivers behind the new stance ahead of 2018’s presidential elections.

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