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The Never-Ending Reshuffle of Egyptian Governors: Could Election Reap Better Results?

January 21, 2016
President al-Sisi with the 11 governors who were sworn in in December, 2015

In the past 21 months, Egypt has witnessed three governor shuffles, averaging at one every seven months. The most recent change in Egypt’s municipal hierarchy took place on December 26 2015 when 11 governors were sworn in by the president to replace those deemed ‘unfit’ to continue their tenure. Occupying nine out of the 11 posts, Major Generals from the military establishment have won over the lion’s share of al-Sisi’s governor appointments. Regardless of the reasons leading to the choice of the recently appointed governors, resorting to a majority of military personnel is considered a setback to many advances that occurred during the Ibrahim Mehleb era, when young engineers, professors and experienced managers were appointed as governors. Furthermore, it is important to note that the 11 replaced governors have been in their posts for a minimum of 10 months and a maximum of two years. This high turnover coupled with the revived historical grip of the military and police establishment on the governor position has called into question the criteria and process upon which governors are selected. An effective selection process would not yield such a high turnover. Currently, the…


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