Can Egypt’s next president fix the economy?

Aware of the bad economic situation, both Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Hamdeen Sabahi say they will make the economy a priority. They say they have plans to deal with joblessness and poverty.

Sisi says Egyptians will see change in the next two years. And when it happens, the former general says, the pace of progress willl be ‘unprecedented.’

While Sabahi promises to provide the rights for food, health and treatment to all citizens without discrimination.

They are both aware that huge government subsidies are no longer sustainable. The budget deficit is dangerously high. And unemployment threatens to bring Egyptians back on to the streets.

So, how realistic are their economic plans? Could they really honour their promises?

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests:

Angus Blair: president of the Signet Institute; and specialist on the business and politics of the Middle East and North Africa region.

Tawfik Hamid: senior fellow and chair for study of Islamic Radicalism at the Potamac Institute for Policy Studies.

Abdulmawgoud Dardery: former member of the Egyptian parliament.