Political uncertainty in Egypt causing hardship

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Essam Sharaf, this weekend said delaying a September parliamentary election would give parties more time to prepare, as the nation debates its future after nearly thirty years of rule by Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted in a revolution on February 11^th. His comments come at a time of mounting calls by liberal and secular groups to delay the election until a new constitution is drafted.

The political uncertainty in the country is leading to economic hardship for many people, especially those dependent on the tourism industry.

“Life in Egypt is tough for many Egyptians at the moment,” said Oliver Pearce, Policy Officer at the charity Christian Aid. “Egypt has been suffering a number of crises. Primarily, people have found it difficult to sustain livelihoods because unemployment is rising, in particular in the tourism and construction sectors. Further to that, a number of migrants that previously were working in Libya, and sending money home to families in Egypt, have fled Libya due to the conflict there and returning to their home communities.”

He told Vatican Radio this is putting a strain on society.

“What we see in Egypt now is that many communities have a number of people who are looking for work and are unable to support their families, and added to the political uncertainty and security situation in Egypt, it means that families are finding it very difficult to cope with the existing situation,” Pearce said.

Listen to the full interview by Charles Collins with Oliver Pearce: