More on all this soon...

This development reflects the regime's interest in making room for new allies & clients in the (tightly controlled) political sphere. It also suggests that the political leadership is seeking to create more balance between the competing security agencies these various parties have come to represent.

This round seems to be geared toward distributing the role of the "acting ruling party" to a multitude of players instead of limiting that role to just Mustaqbal Watan, as had been the case since 2020.

Every election since 2015 has resulted in a reconfiguration of the political apparatus (see my two-part article on this on Jadaliyya www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45214 www.jadaliyya.com/Details/45215)

Their rise was offset by loss of representation of regime-allied independent parties like Al-Wafd, Al-Tagammu and others, not to mention the decline in representation of non-partisan figures in the list.

The rise of Al-Gabha and of Humat Watan (previously a more junior partner in that electoral alliance) did not come primarily at the expense of Mustaqbal Watan.

While Al-Gabha has a lot of backing from political leadership, it remains a work in progress. It is, therefore, not surprising that it is taking a back seat to Mustaqbal Watan--*for now*.

Al-Gabha is, thus far, nothing more than an umbrella for public figures allied with a different security body, one with less experience in fielding candidates and managing the theatrics and aesthetics of authoritarian elections.

This could be partly attributed to the fact that Mustaqbal Watan is still the primary hub for the political networks of the Mubarak regime--a political class with a long experience in contesting authoritarian elections in coordination with the domestic security apparatus.

We find, however, that Mustaqbal Watan remains the largest party in this coalition (as reflected by the continued dominance of their share of seats in the state-sponsored party list).

A lot has been said about the swift emergence of Al-Gabha Al-Wataniyya, sponsored by Sisi allied business mogul Ibrahim Al-Organy. Speculations had been circulating about the possibility that it would replace Mustaqbal Watan as the regime's primary political arm.

The Trump administration’s green lighting Microsoft’s Nvidia chips deal with the UAE just as the (UAE-backed and armed) RSF militia is committing war crimes against the people of Darfur leaves me at a loss for words.

New York is a model for imagining a path toward a more humane and inclusive alternative.

A seal has been broken and people will not unsee this.

To me, this is not the story of a Muslim politician winning office, but the story of an entire city defying the sectarianism and fear-mongering of the national political elites (of the right and the left) and asserting its will through a peaceful and positive message.

Video recording m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDC7...