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%


cairo
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
Mu
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

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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
Gain/Loss

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

Arab Democratic Nasserist Party or Nasserist Party

 

 

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