Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPT Poll systems under scrutiny 21st February 2014 No one yet knows what systems will be used in the coming elections but the conduct of the last referendum raised some big questions Election observers have yet to learn what kind of electoral system will be employed in the presidential election that will precede parliamentary polls. However, for those experts i...
Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPTETHIOPIA 'Torpedo the dam' 21st February 2014 Egypt is protesting to the United Nations Security Council and the International Criminal Court about the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. It will also boycott a meeting in Khartou...
Vol 55 No 4 | EGYPT The El Sisi enigma 18th February 2014 The head of the Egyptian military looks certain to be elected president in the next three months but his policies are a mystery The popular clamour of ‘Sisi for President!’ started within days of General Abdel Fattah Khalil el Sisi removing Mohamed Mursi from the presidency on 3 July 2013. Ever ...
Vol 55 No 3 | WESTERN SAHARAMAGHREB No end to deadlock 7th February 2014 The region has long been a bone of contention between Algeria and Morocco – and natural resource opportunities are forcing it up the agenda The impasse over the sovereignty of the former Spanish Sahara is still preventing the five Union du Maghreb arabe (UMA) nations from achieving regional unity. Prospects of ending t...
Vol 55 No 2 | MOROCCO Headaches for Benkirane 24th January 2014 A deteriorating economic situation adds to political tension as parties manoeuvre for next year’s elections Morocco seems to have emerged stronger from the Arab Spring. The constitution promises a more open political system and improved human rights. A coalition government led by the Par...
Vol 55 No 2 | ALGERIA Après moi, moi 24th January 2014 Despite his infirmity, Bouteflika is set to run again in April for a fourth term. The ruling elite is bereft of political or economic ideas Inconceivable though it seemed only a few months ago that the enfeebled, 76-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika could stand again after his stroke, that is exactly what he is l...
Vol 55 No 2 | MAURITANIA Abdel Aziz plays it safe 24th January 2014 The President will hold the political ring while coopting minor politicians and parties, but he’s keeping out of the regional operation in Mali Although the ruling Union pour la République suffered setbacks in some smaller regions in last year’s general election, it has consolidated its grip and still monopoli...
Vol 55 No 1 | EGYPT Consolidation is the goal 10th January 2014 The political calendar is crowded as the forces that took control of the state and ousted Mursi seek to strengthen their position Egyptian electors will be called to the ballot box at least three times in 2014, to approve the new constitution, elect a president and choose a single-chamber parliament. This wil...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPTETHIOPIASUDANITALY Secrets of the dam builder 12th December 2013 Sudan has now thrown its weight behind the Millennium Dam, at a time when curiosity about the contractor, Salini, was already growing As Egyptian, Ethiopian and Sudanese ministers sat down to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on 9 December, one item was notably absent from the agenda. The role of Salini...
Vol 54 No 25 | EGYPTETHIOPIASUDAN Shoring up regional support 12th December 2013 After a period of defiant independence, Addis Ababa has now, belatedly perhaps, built strong diplomatic support behind the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Before the joint meeting...