Role of Interest Groups in Egypt Politics

Egypt has become the focal point of interest of political analysts. To understand the recent political development in Egypt someone has to consider both internal and external dynamics juxtapose. Internal and external both factors are equally complex and greatly influential. 

Armed Forces

The military is very influential in Egypt's domestic affairs, politically and economically. Approximately 30% of the Egyptian economy is dominated by the military. It is also well-integrated into the political system in Egypt. However, it has given signs to indicate its support of the demands of the Egyptian people. In its statement deposing Morsi, the military denied engaging in a coup d'état, indicating that it does not intend to run the government. Rather, the military’s actions seem to reinforce what it sees as its traditional role as the “Guardian of the Republic”.

Muslim Brotherhood

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has its origin in Egypt. By the dint of spatial reality MB has influential role in Egypt. The organization was founded more than eighty years ago in 1928 and after so many years of prosecution by regimes it had been able to remain intact throughout the Middle East. The upspring or what came to be known as the Arab Spring that took place throughout the Middle East eliminated some of the old regimes in countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya which allowed the MB to rise to power after being a banned organization and gain the benefit of political power of these revolution which had started out as a secular movement.

One of the most prominent strategies of MB is avoiding confrontation with the military. Finding a modus vivendi with the army has been particularly challenging in Egypt, where the military has enormous power. However the MB seems to have established a relatively effective power-sharing mechanism with it, partially enshrined in the new constitution. In a nutshell, the MB does not encroach on the army’s huge financial interests, and the army lets the MB govern.

Political Parties

Egypt has a multi-party system. However, National Democratic Party (NDP) was the only active political party until 2011. Egypt movement of 2011 ousted both NDP and President Hosni Mubarak at the same time. Under Mubarak, opposition parties were allowed, but were widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power. That circumstance sustained until ‘Egyptian spring’.

On March 28, 2011, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces introduced the Political Party Law, which eases restrictions on the legal establishment of new political parties in Egypt. Under the law new parties are now required to have at least 5,000 members from at least ten of Egypt's provinces. Originally, new parties were only required to have 1,000 members. At present there are around fifty political parties in Egypt and around forty of them were established in post Mubarak regime.

Media’s Role

Media, especially social media had an historical role to initiate and sustain the ‘Egyptian spring’ which eventually prompted the fall of Mubarak. In the Mubarak period there was no free media. According to Freedom House report 2007, the print press is very diverse in Egypt, with over 600 newspapers, journals, and magazines. However these are owned mostly or in some way by the government, the opposition or other political parties. So it was difficult for the people to get a neutral viewpoint over any political issue.

Freedom of express of media is also in a fragile state in Egypt. The scenario were so worst during Mubarak period that several journalists from private newspapers have been arrested and jailed for breaching laws that prohibited criticism of the President. There are two state owned and an increasing number of private television channels which are also under huge government surveillance. 

The most fascinating feature of media is the wide spread use of internet in Egypt. According to Freedom House report 2007 around 21 percent of the population use internet. The recent political unrests are more freely covered and expressed through internet based social media since print and TV media were forced to remain tight lipped under government threats. But the young Egyptians could never be stopped. In a latest report it is found that a group of MB activists established their own internet protocol to avoid government surveillance. They are sending what actually are happening in Egypt under army rule.  

first appeared on 14th August, 2013 on Daily Sun,