People and Politics Worldwide
Egypt
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and
the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai
Peninsula
Area: total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters;
Terrain: vast desert plateau (96% of land) interrupted by Nile valley and
delta
Natural Resources: the Nile, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Natural Hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash floods,
landslides; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; dust
storms, sandstorms
People
Population: 78,887,007
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 13,172,641/female 12,548,346)
15-64 years: 62.9% (male 25,102,754/female 24,519,698)
65 years and over: 4.5%
Median Age: total: 24 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 24.3 years
Population growth rate: 1.75%
Birth rate: 22.94 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 5.23 deaths/1,000 population
Sex Ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female
Life Expectancy at birth: total population: 71.29 years
male: 68.77 years
female: 73.93 years
Ethnic groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek,
Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated
classes
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
male: 68.3%
female: 46.9%
Capital: Cairo
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes;
judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of
administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Economics
GDP (purchasing power parity): $339.2 billion
GDP (official exchange rate): $92.6 billion
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7%
GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,400
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15.5%
industry: 32.1%
services: 52.4%
Labor force: 21.34 million
Labor force-by occupation: agriculture 32%, industry 17%, services 51%
Unemployment rate: 10%
Population under poverty line: 20%
Agriculture- products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits, vegetables;
cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, pharmaceuticals,
hydrocarbons, construction, cement, metals, light manufactures
Egypt's
Political Development: The Radical Revolutionary Path
Egyptian
Revolution –
3 goals:
Nationalism
(anti-colonialism, foreign interference),
Socialism (but anti-communist as well as anti-capitalist,
anti-imperialist), pan-Arabism
Timeline:
1952, military coup by the society of Free Officers
Gamal Abdel-Nasser among them
Persuade King Farouk to abdicate, form military junta,
Eventually Nasser emerges as leader, 1954
“Elected” president overwhelmingly in 1956
Nasserism – cult of personality
(his picture everywhere like Lenin’s), single party rule, dictatorship but also
Arab nationalism, non-Marxist socialism, secularism
Also one of the
founders of the “nonaligned movement” (with Nehru and Tito)
Rules Egypt from
’54 til his death 1970
“Civilitary”
legacy
dictatory, claimed
to be civilian, elected pres, but often appeared in uniform for ceremonial
occasions and retained his rank. Staged elections periodically (his Arab
Socialist Union was the only party allowed to compete)
His example is
followed in Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Libya (Qaddafi)
Lost face for
Egypt in 1956 Suez Crisis, 1967 Six Day War (in which Egypt’s defenses were
demolished by Israel in days)
Egptian
Political Leaders Since Nasser
Anwar al-Sadat –
(1972-1981)
was Nasser’s
vice president
Launching surporsie
attack on Israel on Yom Kippur (Jewish day of atonement) 1973
Even though
Israel bouncd back, reclaimed territory and more, Sadat seen as hero for
avenging Egypt’s humiliation in the 1967 war
Some
democratization – allowed pluralization of party system, removed censorship,
allowed greater freedom of expression (although Magstadt insists that Egypt was
and still is largely a sham or “paper democracy”)
Pursued largely
upopular economic policy “opening” infitah – to attract foreign investment (controversial
based on colonial past) – Magstadt says this mainly succeeded in making a few
Egpytians rich
Assassinated by
Egyptian extremists in 1981 (resented Camp David)
**Note another
example of the different standards/ideals of East and West
West most
admires Sadat; Mid-East most admires Nasser
Government Today
Executive Branch
Chief of
state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
Hosni Mubarak
(1981-present)
Was vice
president and military careerist (note: he hasn’t named a vp to avoid getting
bumped off by him!)
“paper
democracy” but reforming
Competition for
presidential elections allowed in 2005 elections for the first time
Legislative
Branch
Head of government: Prime Minister Ahmed NAZIF
Bicameral system consists of the People's Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454
seats; 444 elected by popular vote, 10 appointed by the president; members
serve five-year terms) and the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura - which
functions only in a consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote,
88 appointed by the president; members serve six-year terms; mid-term elections
for half the members)
Parliamentary
Elections
more competitive as well
parties getting more than 5% could run candidates in next
presidential election
|
Summary of the 7 November to 9
December 2005 People's Assembly of Egypt election
resultsedit |
|||||||
|
Parties |
Votes |
% |
Seats |
Gains |
Losses |
Net |
Seats |
|
National Democratic Party (Al'Hizb Al Watani
Al Democrati) |
|
|
311 |
0 |
-93 |
-93 |
68.5 |
|
New
Wafd Party (Hizb al-Wafd-al-Jadid) |
|
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.3 |
|
Progressive National Unionist Party (Hizb al Tagammo'
al Watani al Taqadommi al Wahdwawi) |
|
|
2 |
0 |
-3 |
-3 |
0.4 |
|
Tomorrow
Party (Hizb al-Ghad) |
|
|
1 |
0 |
-1 |
-1 |
0.2 |
|
Independents (Muslim Brotherhood - al-ikhwān al-muslimūn) |
|
|
88 |
71 |
0 |
+71 |
19.4 |
|
Independents |
|
|
24 |
0 |
-3 |
-3 |
4.6 |
|
Still in contest |
|
|
12 |
|
|
|
|
|
Non-Elected members |
10 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2.2 |
||
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
-1 |
-1 |
0 |
|
|
Liberal Party (Hizb al-Ahrar) |
|
|
0 |
0 |
-1 |
-1 |
|
|
Total (turnout %) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Judicial Branch
Supreme Constitutional Court
Contemporary
Issues
environmental issues, water, de-salination efforts
rise of Islamic
Brotherhood, pressures for democratization
terrorism, bombings of tourist
sites