The passing of the draft constitution and the announcement of the referendum outcomes will definitely not put an end to the state of instability that has been prevailing in Egypt ever since Mubarak's step down, and to a much greater extent, following the election of the new president and the departure of the Military Council from power. This will presumably be the beginning of a new kind of conflict between the ruling party that includes Mohammad Morsi and his Justice and Freedom party as well as the Muslim Brothers and his Salafist allies on the one hand, and their opponents who belong to the other political groups. This could also be the beginning of an agreement that will not revoke all the differences between the two sides but that will place those sides in their natural places, thus preventing the differences opposing them in the street from turning into a bloody conflict or a civil war. We will not be delving into complicated economic details. However, the Egyptian situation for the time being resembles the situation of the Egyptian Pound, which has been witnessing unprecedented collapses. All the indications point in the direction of additional collapses to come. Obviously, the situation of the currency in any state is a reflection of the political situation there. Similarly, a sound economy, a thriving investment movement, and a prosperous currency all serve the ruling regime since these factors lead to less unrest and anger and to a desire to change by helping stability to reign. All the events that took place in Egypt during the weeks that preceded the referendum led to current political and economic degradation. Some Egyptians are even astonished by this country where all work is almost paralyzed and where sit-ins and protests are taking place on a quasi daily basis, but where the government is playing no part related to the future, and is failing even in managing ordinary matters. At the same time, there is a state of pressure and anger between the opposition sources as well as a constant debate over the power posts or the ideas. But despite all this, the country and the people are going through life! The talk about the violations and falsifications during the second round of the referendum is nothing new. The Egyptians have been used to these matters throughout the Mubarak era and also during the first round of the referendum. Everyone had hoped that the revolution would bring an end to these miserable scenes and shameful actions. But the truth is, every Authority has the ability to find excuses, deny facts, deny the truth, and refute the scenes that no one can deny. Interestingly, throughout its history, Egypt never saw normal elections or referendums with real integrity and without the interference of the state except for the phase of the Military Council rule! This is a true fact, regardless of the negative aspects of that phase and the slogan, “let the military rule fall." The reason is that the Authority back then did not want to reach the same outcome. Some even believe that the situation in Egypt today is due to the actions and politics of the military. The referendum and its outcomes have increased the division, despite the talk of the MB officials and figures about the agreements and the dialogues that will take place in the upcoming phase in order to achieve rapprochement and to decrease the tension. Despite the warnings of the government concerning the threats to the economic situation and its intention to take stimulatory actions and secure resources, tension will certainly increase, the economy will deteriorate, the Egyptian Pound will collapse and the people will have more burdens that they can handle. This will lead to more confusion on the part of the president, in addition to governmental floundering and a “definite" civil clash. Then, violence will not only target the ruling Authority, since it might also include all the elites including the opposition forces, when the hungry people will lose trust in both the regime and the opposition. Indeed, nothing indicates that a serious dialogue will take place, a real agreement will be achieved, or an economic prosperity will prevail. Each of the conflicting parties is walking down a path of its choice without any deviation and without any pledges to rectify this path or to let go of some interests. The ruling party is having a real crisis only three months prior to the planned elections. Its political considerations are preventing it from taking economic resolutions that might affect its quota in the next parliament. But at the same time, the deteriorated living condition, the continued collapse of the Egyptian pound, and the deteriorating level of services represent a must to proceed with economic reform. But the ruling party has brought this upon itself, thus jeopardizing itself and the state. The Egyptian Pound is not the only thing that is collapsing. The state is, too.
