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The Military and Egypt's Transformation Process

Preservation of the Military's Reserve Domains

SWP Comment 2013/C 06, 11.02.2013, 8 Pages Research Areas

The military's withdrawal from Egypt’s day-to-day politics after it had assumed power in the wake of Hosni Mubarak's ouster did not put an end to its role in the political process. A tacit agreement seems to have been reached between the President – affiliated with the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood – and the military leadership. While the military institution keeps its reserve domains, it has also become a mainstay of Mohamed Morsi's regime. This backdoor deal – confirmed by the new Egyptian constitution, signed into law by the President on 26 December 2012 – also poses a great challenge to Egypt's transformation process, as it leaves the military unaccountable to elected civilian bodies.