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Egypt has chosen without having had a choice. Three days took cynical spectacle on Nile, n ex-field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sissi had his second term of office safe. The majority of his subjects remained aloof from election, and re was no real counter-candidate. There was only one straw man on ballot, which was to give a slightly lighter coat to gloomy power maneuver. So al-Sissi’s military dictatorship goes unchallenged into her next round.
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60,000 political prisoners, 15,000 lawsuits against military courts, interrogation of torture and endless detention are now shaping authoritarian normal state. The regime denies all crimes and grievances, first of all head of state al-Sissi himself, who, months before election, was arresting or intimidating all potential competitors, and n insisting on television that he wanted competition. And of course everyone in Egypt can express ir opinions freely.
This rhetoric has nothing to do with reality. The leaders of Nile are suspicious of political plurality because it inhibits expansion of ir power apparatus. Al-Sissi and his faithful do not tolerate anyone beside mselves. Certainly no political alternatives to dominance of military, police, judiciary and Secret Service.
For ir power cartel, Arab Spring, this world-wide admired and celebrated surprise victory for civil society, was an embarrassing industrial accident, which must not be repeated under any circumstances. In her opinion, former President Hosni Mubarak made mistake of allowing political dissent on European and American pressures. This was cause of disgrace of power apparatus in February 2011, year of Mubarak’s downfall.
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Now first four al-Sissi years are over. There is not much imagination to imagine furr development in Egypt. Soon, al-Sissi Parliament will extend its four-year term of office to six years and n abolish constitutional time limit. In parallel, regime will push remaining remnants of civil society, perfect internet surveillance and extend already-started smear campaign against foreign media. Then Egypt’s authoritarian state system is once again fully established – harder and more ruthless than ever before.
