{"id":634926,"date":"2018-01-29T04:11:36","date_gmt":"2018-01-29T04:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/01\/29\/planned-presidential-elections-getting-negative-coverage-from-the-international-press\/"},"modified":"2018-01-29T04:11:36","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T04:11:36","slug":"planned-presidential-elections-getting-negative-coverage-from-the-international-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2018\/01\/29\/planned-presidential-elections-getting-negative-coverage-from-the-international-press\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned presidential elections getting negative coverage from the international press"},"content":{"rendered":"

The upcoming presidential elections are \u201cincreasingly taking on the character of the one-candidate referendums held for decades\u201d <\/strong>in Egypt, Bureau Chief Hamza Hendawi writes for The Associated Press<\/a>. \u201cThe overwhelmingly pro-[President Abdel Fattah El Sisi] media depict him as the only figure able to solve Egypt\u2019s problems, and the president himself often says the need to rebuild the country outweighs concerns over democracy and rights. A significant sector of the population likely agrees with the argument \u2014 though how much is unknown, since authorities prevent most polling and have outlawed all unauthorized protests,\u201d Hendawi writes.<\/p>\n

Chatham House\u2019s MENA Deputy Head Jane Kinninmont also <\/strong>gave her two cents<\/strong><\/a> on the upcoming poll<\/strong>, adding that attention now will turn to whether El Sisi \u201cwill seek to overturn the term limits, or groom a pliable successor\u2026 Regionally, Sisi is likely to be focused on the issues closest to Egypt\u2019s own security: the situation in neighbouring Libya and in Gaza, where Egypt has been an important broker between Fatah and Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2026Elsewhere, Sawsan Gad says the military is controlling which \u201cpersonnel can exercise their constitutional right to political participation,\u201d in the Carnegie Endowment for National Peace<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Egypt has an advantage over Israel and Cyprus in exporting natural gas to Europe because its export plan may be more commercially viable<\/strong>, and not because of reduced political risk, industry insider Charles Ellinas writes for Cyprus Mail<\/a>. Israel\u2019s hopes of exporting gas from its Leviathan field are unlikely to materialize, since \u201cadding the cost of pipelines, liquefaction, and transport to Europe would always take the price above the European price range \u2026 Similar problems apply to Cyprus and export of Aphrodite gas. The primary challenge is still commercial viability. That\u2019s why so far Noble [Energy\u2019s] efforts to secure gas sales have not succeeded, including through the Egyptian route despite the political good-will.\u201d Egypt, on the other hand, is well on its way to self-sufficiency and would be able to export its surplus gas through existing infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Also worth a quick skim today:<\/p>\n