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The election of a new head of
state is always scrutinized and somewhat criticized by lay people.
Less than two years ago (7/12/2014) president El Sessi was elected by
more than 24 million Egyptians who constitute half of the eligible voters.
Following the president’s
election, negative campaigns by some journalists and politicians started to
emerge. They maintained that the new regimes was authoritarian and had no
economic planning.
In my opinion this is a
misplaced criticism. The president and his government are facing tremendous
challenges: terrorism, lack of foreign currency, decreases of tourism by 80%, meager economic economic resources, and
above all the continuous population increase.
If we examine the transitional
political and economic period following any revolution one notices that
political and economic stability is not achieved instantly.
President El Sessi has been
in power for less than two full years, and in spite of the poor economic
situation he inherited from the previous regime and the continuous threat of
terrorism, his achievement is quite impressive.
The followings are an
enumeration of his achievements.
1.
The development
of the Suez Canal, which took one year to complete at a cost of 60billion
Egyptian pounds.
2.
The construction
of more than 5000 Km of new roads.
3.
The construction of 1500 bridges. This new
transportation network connects the various governorates.
4.
The construction
of 6 new towns to allow urban expansion, economic development and to accommodate
the increasing number of the population. It is estimates that 2.6 million people,
per year, are added to the Egyptian population.
5.
The modernization
of the electrical power generators. A German company builds the new generators
and it led to the doubling of power. It exceeds 26,000-mega watt.
6.
The construction of 600,000 housing units to
accommodate low-income families.
7.
The construction
of new sewage pipes, with recycling stations, in several villages. This will
provide clean water for irrigation and make available 3.7-7 billion cubic meter
of water per year.
8.
The reclamation
of 1.5 million feddans in Al Farafra. It is a large agricultural project, which
is expected to be completed in 4 to 5 years at a cost of 60 bullion Egyptian
pounds. According to agricultural economists the project Egypt will be self sufficient
in food production, especially the production of wheat. On 5/5/2016, president
El Sessi visited Al Farafra to celebrate the hisad of wheat from 5000 reclaimed
feddans. Furthermore, villages are constructed with basic infrastructure for
those who will be working the land, and wells were dug to provide water for
agriculture and human consumption. It is estimated that the water well will
provide 7 billion cubic meters of water per year.
9.
Electrical power
in this region will be provided by means of solar energy.
The above are among the major
economic developmental projects president El Sessi has initiated with the help
of the Egyptian army.
This is an impressive
achievement in light of the short time he has been in power and considering
Egypt poor economic resources.
On May 9, 2016 the Egyptian
newspaper Akhbar el Yom published the result of a national opinion survey
regarding president El Sessi after being in power for 22 months. It revealed
that 79% of the respondents are supportive and satisfied with the president
performance and 13% are not satisfied.
However, 69% of the respondents said they will re-elect El Sessi for
another term.
