Who Runs Egypt?
Egypt Security Sector Report
This week, the hollowness of Egypt’s electoral life was on full display during the Senate vote, where turnout was driven not by politics but by cash coupons, welfare threats, and party proxies loitering outside empty polling stations. Behind the spectacle, a familiar choreography played out: Sisi reshuffled the military’s top brass in his annual coup-proofing ritual, keeping his generals guessing and rotating.
Meanwhile, the Air Force’s grip over Egypt’s civilian life tightened. Its “Future of Egypt” megaproject is now siphoning Nile water to irrigate a luxury desert real estate enclave while farmers in the Delta starve. Civilian ministries are folded into military-led youth programs. And global firms like Boston Consulting Group—simultaneously advising Egypt’s military on privatization—are exposed for modeling forced population transfers in Gaza.
Abroad, Egyptian elites are quietly exiting. Dubai real estate is booming with their cash. Nassef Sawiris has relocated to Italy. And at home, tenants are being priced out of “old rent” housing while graves and domes in historic Cairo are bulldozed for highways.
Full coverage below.
Coupons, Cash, Coercion Dominate Egypt’s Senate Vote
As Egyptians cast ballots in Senate elections on 4–5 August, the ruling regime relied heavily on material incentives and coercive tactics to drive turnout amid widespread public apathy.
Field reports from al-Manassa and Zawya 3 documented near-empty polling stations in Cairo’s working-class neighborhoods and affluent districts alike, while crowds loitered outside to collect “voting coupons” worth LE100–LE300 (approx. US$2–6). Organized by the security services-run Nation’s Future Party, volunteers directed voters and distributed coupons redeemable at local charities. Recipients included elderly pensioners, coerced by threats to their welfare benefits.
Matsda2sh confirmed similar operations in Alexandria, Suez, Sohag, and university campuses, with state-owned companies and the Ministry of Social Solidarity reportedly pressuring employees and beneficiaries to vote. Despite the fanfare, only one electoral list competed for party seats.
Official results will be released on 12 August. A runoff, if needed, is set for 25 and 26 August for Egyptians abroad and 27 and 28 August domestically. Final results are expected on 4 September. The entire process underscored the deep militarization and hollowness of electoral life under Sisi’s rule
Sisi Reshuffles Top Brass in Annual Coup-Proofing Ritual
