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Dailynewsegypt. In this photo released by the office of the Egyptian presidency, Egyptian troops demonstrate their skills at a graduation ceremony in Cairo in July 2012.

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(Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency) By Joseph Hammond and James Wan, originally published in Think Africa Press Momentum is continuing to build towards Egypt’s 26 May elections, which are widely expected to see Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stroll into the presidential office. After a long period of speculation, the recently promoted Field Marshall finally announced last month that he would be taking off his military slacks and stepping into civilian shoes to run for top office.

In a poll in March, 39% of Egyptians said they were planning to vote for him, while fewer than 1% of respondents said they were planning to vote for any of the other candidates. Dailynewsegypt. Egyptian army soldiers block Salah Salem highway to prevent supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi from crossing during their demonstration in Cairo, on July 19, 2013.

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(AFP File Photo / Marwan Naamani) Reuters – Egypt’s army is taking charge of billions of dollars of development aid from the United Arab Emirates, an army official said, raising further doubts over the narrow separation of powers with the military backed administration in place since July. One of several Gulf states to shower Egypt with cash and petroleum products after the army ousted elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi, the UAE also looked ahead, seeking to bolster a system that could keep Islamists it sees as an existential threat from running the most populous Arab state. But Major General Taher Abdullah, who heads the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, said when UAE officials discussed projects shortly after Morsi’s ouster, it was with the army.

Mohamed el dahshan. economist, writer, speaker, compulsive traveller. The anti-revolutionary crowd love to look at us with incredulous eyes, and ask “but why would the army want to take over power?

mohamed el dahshan. economist, writer, speaker, compulsive traveller.

They have no interest in being in power! They’re better off being independent!”. Born in outright lie or terrifying ignorance, this argument, naturally, only holds insofar that there’s no proof of the army making financial gains out of their privileged position in power; the nationalistic slogans placarded over army-built overpasses across the country attempt to convince us that the army is selflessly putting its (unpaid, untaxed, conscripted) labour to the service of the nation.