Will Egypt’s election be a turning point for the economy?

Egypt’s upcoming presidential election has cast the spotlight back onto the country’s bumpy transition to democracy. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led last summer’s “second revolution”, is widely expected to sweep to victory, and there are growing hopes that he will be able to restore political stability. While this could provide some support to the economy, we would caution about being too optimistic. To start with, society is still highly polarised. What’s more, if Egypt is to enjoy a sustained period of strong economic growth, the new president will need to make some deeply unpopular reforms.