Category: Country Reports
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January 2019
Overview. President Sisi still maintains a strong public profile but to the detriment of those who speak against, or oppose, him. Egypt’s security and economic stability have seen improvements in the last year. The government’s economic reform plan appears to be putting the country back on track. Egypt’s GDP achieved a high growth of 5.3%…
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January 2019
Overview. The Awami League emerged the winner in the 30th December general election. They look to occupy over 270 seats in the 300-strong national parliament. This is Sheikh Hasina’s third consecutive term as Prime Minister. The last few weeks saw a high-pitched campaign and a flurry of political violence, culminating in about 20 deaths on…
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December 2018
Overview. The general election will take place on 30th December. The month has seen candidates from all political parties jostling for nominations. On 15th December the army will be deployed across Bangladesh to ensure a safe election. Last month saw a largely conciliatory stance from the government. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with the joint…
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December 2018
Overview. The reporting period featured a slight increase in terrorist activities, but the country remained relatively politically stable. Significant events included the killing of senior politician Molana Sami-ul-Haq Haqqani, a court verdict ordering the release of Christian woman Asiya Bibi charged with blasphemy and subsequent countrywide protests, a terrorist attack on the Chinese Consulate in…
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December 2018
Overview. US sanctions return, increasing the economic pain to ordinary Iranians as food prices rise and foreign medicines become hard to obtain. Iranian banks scramble to reconfigure their international arrangements in the new sanctions landscape. Domestic politics, regional and international relations all become more heated. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran was…
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December 2018
Overview. Recent years have seen Egypt’s economy struggle, mainly due to political instability and the resultant impact on the tourism sector which was the country’s largest single sector employer. A recent report by Harvard placed Egypt as the third fastest developing economy for the coming decade. This is good news for industry and investors alike…
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November 2018
Overview. Political formations ahead of the upcoming national elections continues to dominate the conversation in Bangladesh. Election dates should have been announced by now, but we continue to wait. The most important political development last month was the formation of the Jatiya Oikya Front ("United National Front") on 13th October, led by Dr.…… Read the…
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November 2018
Overview. During the reporting period the political situation remained stable with no major agitation from opposition political parties. The Election Commission of Pakistan held peaceful by-elections in several constituencies. The leader of opposition in the national assembly, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, stood before the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) trial, the Armed Forces underwent some major changes…
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November 2018
Overview. President Sisi continues to actively woo international investment and co-ordinate campaigns to combat extremism in Egypt and the region. Egypt’s tourism sector continues to surge with record breaking numbers and positive recognition being reported. The government’s focus continues to be on infrastructure development, improved food production and population control. International Stage.…… Read the rest
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October 2018
Overview. With the upcoming national elections absorbing the majority of the country’s energies, the reporting period featured few events of note. We anticipate that the specific date for the late December 2018 elections will be announced mid-to-late October, with election manifestos being published shortly thereafter. The general assumption is that Sheikh Hasina and the Awami…