The protests in Egypt that have been taking place since last Tuesday (25th January) seem to continue to gather momentum despite some changes in approach by the government and reports of widespread looting and disorder in some parts of major cities in the country. The protestors seem to be riding on the back of those in Tunisia where the former president, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country after protestors called for change. Whether the 'success' of protests in Tunisia were a catalyst or not, there are a number of parallels between the two countries which can help to explain the anger and frustration of the people.

 

The major similarity lies in the source of political control. In both countries, the leaders had been in place for a long time - in President Hosni Mubarak's case, since 1981. Political freedom in Egypt is limited; there are elections but some opposition parties are banned and many people in Egypt do not believe that the elections are free and fair. Whilst having a president in charge for a long time brings wider political stability - Egypt has been backed financially by the United States for some years and is one of the only Arab countries to be at peace with Israel - it does lead to pent up frustrations.

 

Key complaints of the protestors have been, not unlike those in Tunisia, rising prices, high unemployment and corruption. The Egyptian government has invested heavily in education and whilst a growing number of young people go to university, there are not the jobs for them when they graduate and so this creates tensions. Add to this the rising prices of staple foods and you have a recipe for protest.

 

Whether Mr Mubarak will step down is still open to question; Egyptians acknowledge that he is a stubborn man. However, the longer the protests continue and the stronger the support for change the more likely it is that he will have to find some way out. There is a plan for millions of people to take to the streets to protest tomorrow (Tuesday) and if that does happen it may be that this becomes the tipping point for Mr Mubarak to see that his support has fallen too far to enable him to survive. The question then is what sort of government will assume power and will it be a government which will want to do business with the rest of the world?