Ahead of its first elections following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt has approved a new legal amendment to the country’s constitution that restricts retired army officers from running for political office in elections without permission from the Military.
The amendment which was announced on Wednesday comes one year after the passing of constitutional amendments that allow President Sisi, to stay in office until 2030, states that “Officers on active service or those whose service has ended are not allowed to run for the presidential, parliamentary or local elections except after the approval of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.”
Further examination of the announcement shows that it not only bolsters the role of the army by allowing it to offer an opinion on proposed constitutional amendments and bills related to political rights, elections, and national security but also make it obligatory for the Defence Minister to appoint a military adviser to the governors of each of the 27 provinces in Egypt.
Prior to this amendment, only serving army officers had been restricted from entering politics or standing for election without permission from the military. Following Sisi’s ascension to power, the army has expanded its role in the North-African country, slowly branching out into other sectors including the economy where it plays an active role in food and cement production.
Strategic Approach to Oppress Opposition
Sisi, himself a former army chief who was re-elected for a second term in 2018, has been known to face-off with his main challenger, former military chief-of-staff Sami Anan. The amendment will, therefore, place Anan’s chances of running on the military which Sisi currently controls.
Anan was previously arrested in 2018 after the military accused him of seeking to run in the presidential election without permission. He was released last December. At the time, the army had defended its arrest of Anan, stating that he had been called back to duty after retirement, a claim Anan denied.
Senatorial elections in the country are set to take place on August 11 and 12, 2020, with Egyptians abroad voting first on August 9 and 10, 2020, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
