Photo: AFP/Anadolu Agency/Mohamed Elshahed
Eurasia
22/12/2023 20:05
Over 39 million Egyptians cast their ballots for Sisi, a former army chief who has ruled the most populous Arab country for a decade.
The vote took place as Egypt dealt with various crises, including the Israel-Hamas war in neighbouring Gaza and the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.
Sisi was running against three other candidates, none of whom were high profile. The most prominent potential candidate ended his run complaining that his campaign had been impeded and dozens of his supporters arrested.
Runner-up Hazem Omar, who leads the Republican People’s Party, received 4.5 percent of the vote.
Next came Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and Abdel-Sanad Yamama from the Wafd, a century-old but relatively marginal party.
Sisi is now set to serve his third – and, according to the constitution, final – term in office, starting in April.
The notion of Central Asia being the "Dutch patient" is a term used to describe a region that has experienced economic challenges yet has shown signs of positive growth. Geographically, Central Asia is a region bordered by the Caspian Sea to the west, China to the east, Afghanistan to the south, and Russia to the north. Comprising five former Soviet republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—the region's abundant natural resources and strategic geographic location, as well as its natural beauty and cultural heritage, rapidly transformed it into a major economic bloc by the first quarter of the 21st century.With a population of 82 million, Central Asia has become a dynamic market, attracting growing interest from Europe to Africa.
Lebanon’s newly elected President Joseph Aoun has summoned Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, to designate him as the country’s prime minister after he won the backing of more than half of parliamentarians. The decision spark outrage in the ranks of Hezbollah, as the paramilitary organisation wanted PM Najib Mikati to keep the job.
Turkmenistan is a Turkic state in Central Asia. It borders Uzbekistan to the north, Iran to the south and Afghanistan to the southeast. Turkmenistan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Turkmenistan proclaimed its permanent neutrality, recognized by the United Nations on December 12, 1995.