El-Sisi to take oath for new term amid crises in Egypt

According to analysts, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi will take the constitutional oath this week to begin a new six-year term, accompanied by an ongoing economic crisis despite recent measures taken and a "disastrous" human rights situation.

On December 18, the National Elections Authority announced that el-Sisi had won 89.6 percent of the votes in the presidential race, which he contested against three relatively unknown candidates from among the Egyptians.

According to the constitution, this should be el-Sisi's final term (69 years old) since assuming the presidency in Egypt in 2014.

Parliamentarian Mostafa Bakry, who is close to the authorities, said last week that el-Sisi would take the constitutional oath on Tuesday morning before the People's Assembly in the new administrative capital east of Cairo.

Bakri suggested that Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly's government might resign after el-Sisi's oath-taking, although "the constitution does not require the president to change the cabinet, but I believe we will see a new cabinet."

The oath-taking comes as Egypt, with a population of nearly 106 million, one-third of whom live below the poverty line, faces one of the worst economic crises in its history.

AFP