Egypt's Election: No Change, Many Challenges

The upcoming Egyptian presidential election, scheduled for March 26-28, should be a foregone conclusion. Without real opponents, the incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is waiting for a predictable verdict that will confirm him for a second term. The only question is whether or not this election will be a plebiscite. However, even after the election, the real struggle for a modern Egypt will persist: economic growth, social reforms, terrorism and, most of all, the need for an inclusive and tangible democratization process are challenges the regime cannot overlook anymore. Despite media fanfare and a certain triumphalism promoted by an apparently strong and unchallenged regime, five years after Morsi’s ouster the country is still far from the promise of political stability and economic prosperity pledged by al-Sisi when he came to power in 2014. What comes next? Are we witnessing a comeback of the Mubarak era? Or is any political space still open for the oppositions (including the Islamists)? What role do the public sector and the military play in today’s Egypt? What are the government’s international priorities, and what is al-Sisi’s regional vision for Egypt in a changing Middle East?