Politics

Egypt’s opposition members tackle President Sisi ahead of 2024 election

Published

1 year ago

August 29, 2023

A group of liberal Egyptian politicians have announced their intention to challenge President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the forthcoming election, citing the dire state of the country’s economy.

The coalition, known as the Free Current Movement, or al-Tayar al-Hurr, said its decision would be largely influenced by the fate of jailed leader, Hisham Kassem.

Members of his coalition maintain that his detention is politically motivated, and state that they would rely on their decision to vote in the elections based on the outcome of his case and the assurances of a free election.

The coalition is not thought to pose a significant danger to Sisi, who is anticipated to seek a third term in office during elections early next year as a result of constitutional changes, but its sharp criticism of the administration is unusual.

A businessman and member of the coalition, Akmal Kortam, said, “We need change. We need a new president, a new government, a new parliament if we want Egypt to return to the tide of modernity.”

Another leading opposition voice, the head of the Reform and Development Party, Mohamed Anwar Sadat, said, “The president must ask himself, does he still have the popularity and approval that he had 6, 7, 8 years ago?

“We have a big challenge in the coming months because people will definitely not bear another increase in prices or the exchange rate.”

President Sisi won the 2018 election with 97%, according to the official results. A recent modification to the 2013 constitution changed the presidential term limits from the original four years to six years by popular vote.

The next presidential election, which will take place in 2024, will be conducted in a two-round format.

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Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

6 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.