January 2013 will mark the two year anniversary of the Egyptian uprisings which overthrew Hosni Mubarak. Amid the optimism which followed the transition to democracy, few serious analysts expected the path ahead for the country to be smooth, and indeed it has not been. An FT special report on Egypt highlights the challenges faced by the Arab world’s largest democracy.
The unity of purpose of the anti-Mubarak protests has given way to an increasingly polarised political conflict between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood government, led by President Mohamed Morsi, and liberals, Christians and leftists. Attempts by Morsi to push through a new constitution without their support alongside measures to undermine the judiciary reignited protest movements and brought tanks back onto the streets.
The opposition to Morsi is too weak and divided at present to pose an immediate threat, but the unrest continues to scares off investors and tourists alike, increasing the urgency of Egypt’ economic problems.
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