Egyptian Cabinet Resigns as President Al-Sissi Charts His Second Term

Following the swearing in of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi to a second term in office, the Egyptian cabinet has resigned so that Sissi can move forward with plans for his second term. The former military chief was re-elected in a landslide victory in March, albeit running against virtually no competition after all of his opponents and their supporters were intimidated into withdrawing or jailed. No substantive announcements regarding plans for term two have yet been made as Sissi waits for the festival of Eid A-Fitr which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan next week. Critics continue to point to the regime’s abysmal human rights record and note the remarkable lack of pressure being asserted against Sissi by international allies such as the United States in order to push him to cooperate. In his remarks, Sissi promised an “Egypt in a new place” in two years but chose not to elaborate on anything he said. The president’s media foes face a strong chance of being arrested on charges of “spreading fake news” or “belonging to terrorist organizations.”