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Egypt Rejects European Parliament’s Statement on Presidential Elections

Egyptian Parliament (Facebook)
Egyptian Parliament (Facebook)
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Egypt Rejects European Parliament’s Statement on Presidential Elections

Egyptian Parliament (Facebook)
Egyptian Parliament (Facebook)

The Egyptian Parliament on Friday rejected a European Parliament statement on the country’s upcoming presidential elections, saying it lacks credibility and neutrality.

On Thursday, the European Parliament called in a report for a “review” of the EU’s relations with Egypt. It also urged Egyptian authorities to hold “credible, free and fair elections” and stop “harassing peaceful opposition figures such as aspiring presidential candidates.”

The report sparked a wave of widespread criticism in Egypt, particularly from deputies and politicians who said the statement is based on false information.

Egypt is gearing up for its presidential elections late this year. Voting in Egypt will take place from December 10 to December 12, with Egyptians abroad casting their votes from December 1 to December 3.

In a statement issued Friday, the Egyptian Parliament said the EU’s report lacks objectivity and reveals a predisposition to issue premature judgments about the electoral process.

It then called on the European Parliament to focus its efforts on European affairs, where violations of human rights and freedoms are documented in various reports.

Several Egyptian party leaders, in addition to political and legal officials, rejected the Union’s interference in Egypt’s internal affairs.

Nagi Al-Shihabi, head of the Democratic Generation Party (al-Geel al-Dimuqrati), told Asharq Al-Awsat that the European Parliament statement contains false information aimed at misleading global public opinion, affirming that the Parliament exceeded its limits and powers and interfered in Egyptian affairs.

He affirmed that Egypt’s elections are run by an independent body, the National Electoral Commission, and in accordance with the law, the Constitution and international standards.

Shihabi said it is normal that the European statement triggered wide criticisms in Egypt because Egyptian political parties and civil society are participating in the national dialogue, called for by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, without exclusion.

Meanwhile, Tarek Fahmy, a political science professor at Cairo University, said the timing of the European Parliament is suspicious because it coincides with the announcement of Sisi's candidacy for a new term.

The statement aims to intervene in local affairs and try to spark fears among Egyptian authorities, he said, adding that the statement also aims to change the course of the electoral process.

He then rejected the European Parliament’s “unacceptable interventions” in Egypt’s internal affairs and said it was still early to comment on the elections.

Fahmy then told Asharq Al-Awsat that the European Parliament statement came one-day following demands by lobbyists in Washington and rights groups that US lawmakers withhold a further $235 million in military aid to Egypt.

“I believe there are some European-US arrangements to intervene in Egyptian affairs in one way or another,” he said.

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Arab World

Anger in Iraq Over Use of ‘Greatest Arab Poet’ in Ramadan Ad

The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
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Anger in Iraq Over Use of ‘Greatest Arab Poet’ in Ramadan Ad

The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement
The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement

Baghdad - A promotional video produced by a local platform and sponsored by several companies has sparked widespread criticism in Iraq over content described as “irresponsible,” according to the Iraqi Writers and Authors Union, for allegedly insulting the “Greatest Arab Poet,” Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri (1899–1997), as well as former royal-era prime minister Nuri al-Said (1888–1958).

Although the production company branded the advertisement “Unified Iraq,” it depicted al-Jawahiri in an AI-generated image serving tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani inside his office. In a similar scene, Nuri al-Said was shown serving tea to former parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, triggering a wave of public outrage.

Alongside the controversy over the AI-generated portrayals of al-Jawahiri and al-Said, another debate erupted after the video showed US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris, British Ambassador Irfan Siddiq, French Ambassador Patrick Durel, and German Ambassador Daniel Krebber at a banquet, appearing to be hosted by Farhad Alaaldin, the Iraqi prime minister’s adviser for foreign affairs.

The advertisement also briefly featured the late Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, holding an umbrella while walking through the streets of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, raising further questions about its purpose.

While the video included a song about “a unified Iraq as a homeland of peace,” critics said its central narrative — built around a homeless young beggar — was confusing and poorly defined. Sources close to the production team told Asharq Al-Awsat that the creators had “their own artistic methods” of expressing the idea.

Government Distances Itself

Amid the mounting backlash, the prime minister’s office expressed rejection of “the virtual video in which al-Jawahiri appeared in a manner inconsistent with the prime minister’s respect and appreciation for his literary and national stature.”

Al-Sudani instructed the Communications and Media Commission to launch an urgent investigation into the entities that produced, promoted, or published the advertisement, citing its alleged offense to cultural icons and state institutions, as well as what he described as the irresponsible and unprofessional use of artificial intelligence technologies.

He also signaled the possibility of legal action against the party responsible for producing what he called “the offensive video against Iraq and its national symbols.”

In contrast, the production company asserted that the PM’s office had prior knowledge of the project, and that the same applied to al-Halbousi. However, sources denied being aware of the inclusion of al-Jawahiri and Nuri al-Said in the work.

The sources also suggested that a government official may have been involved in facilitating the production in cooperation with Al-Bayan University, whose building and offices appeared in the advertisement.

“Deliberate Insult”

The Iraqi Writers and Authors Union condemned what it called an “insult to the immortal al-Jawahiri” after the video showed him serving tea to the prime minister.

In a statement, the union said the act reflected “a deliberate offense to a poet distinguished by his immense cultural and moral value, and his well-known national and humanitarian positions.”

It urged relevant authorities to take a firm and deterrent stance against “irresponsible acts aimed at distorting facts and undermining Iraq’s national symbols.”

The union added that al-Jawahiri remained a national symbol “we proudly present to the world and refuse to see insulted by any party.”

The union was founded in al-Jawahiri’s home in 1959 and he became Iraq’s first journalists’ syndicate head the same year.

Claims of Prior Approvals

Facing intense criticism, the advertisement’s author and head of the production company said all participating political figures had approved the details of the project and filming inside their offices.

She stated that the scenes featuring al-Sudani and al-Halbousi were real, with only the figures of al-Jawahiri and Nuri al-Said later added using artificial intelligence.

In a statement on Instagram, al-Jumaili said the project took two months to complete and was reviewed by several international parties before being shown in Iraq, adding that “no step was taken without official approvals.” She did not specify the nature of those entities or whether the political figures were aware of the AI portrayals alongside them.

She argued that the backlash was politically driven and overlooked the advertisement’s positive messages, later explaining that the tea-serving scenes symbolized a “national identity” passed from past intellectual and political leaders to a new generation of leaders.

Business

Airbus Planning Record Commercial Aircraft Deliveries in 2026

An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
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Airbus Planning Record Commercial Aircraft Deliveries in 2026

An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File
An Airbus A350-1000 at the Singapore Airshow on February 4. The company said Thursday it aims to deliver a record number of aircraft this year. Roslan RAHMAN / AFP/File

Plane maker Airbus aims to deliver a record number of commercial aircraft this year, the company said Thursday, capitalizing on "strong demand" and a jump in profit in 2025.

"2025 was a landmark year, characterized by very strong demand for our products and services across all businesses," CEO Guillaume Faury said in a press release announcing annual results.

The European manufacturer said it received 1,000 orders for commercial planes in 2025, with net orders of 889 after taking cancellations into account, and 793 delivered.

Last year, its overall profit jumped 23 percent to 5.2 billion euros ($6.1 billion).

The company said it is targeting "around 870 commercial aircraft deliveries" this year.

"As the basis for its 2026 guidance, the Company assumes no additional disruptions to global trade or the world economy, air traffic, the supply chain, its internal operations, and its ability to deliver products and services," it said in its outlook.

Both Airbus and its rival Boeing have struggled to return to pre-pandemic production levels after their entire network of suppliers was disrupted, even as airlines are eager to modernize their fleets with more fuel-efficient aircraft and expand to meet an expected increase in passenger numbers over the coming decades.

Varieties

Sudan's Historic Acacia Forest Devastated as War Fuels Logging

Little is left of the once sprawling acacia forest south of Sudan's capital. Ebrahim Hamid / AFP
Little is left of the once sprawling acacia forest south of Sudan's capital. Ebrahim Hamid / AFP
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Sudan's Historic Acacia Forest Devastated as War Fuels Logging

Little is left of the once sprawling acacia forest south of Sudan's capital. Ebrahim Hamid / AFP
Little is left of the once sprawling acacia forest south of Sudan's capital. Ebrahim Hamid / AFP

Vast stretches of a once-verdant acacia forest south of Sudan's capital Khartoum have been reduced to little more than fields of stumps as nearly three years of conflict have fueled deforestation.

What was once a 1,500-hectare natural reserve has been "completely wiped out", Boushra Hamed, head of environmental affairs for Khartoum state, told AFP.

Al-Sunut forest had long served as a haven for migratory birds and a vital green shield against the Nile's seasonal floods.

"During the war, Khartoum state has lost 60 percent of its green cover," Hamed said, describing how century-old trees "were cut down with electric saws" for commercial timber and charcoal production.

Where tall acacias once cast cool shade over a wetland just upstream from the confluence of the Blue and White Nile, barren ground now lies exposed, criss-crossed by people gathering whatever wood remains.

Hamed called it "methodical destruction", though the perpetrators remain unknown and there has been no investigation.

Similar devastation is unfolding across several regions -- including western Darfur, neighboring Kordofan and the central states of Sennar and Al-Jazirah -- as insecurity and economic collapse drive unchecked logging, according to Sudan's Forests National Corporation.

According to a 2019 study by the Nairobi-based African Forest Forum, Sudan had already lost nearly half of its forested land since 1960 due to agricultural expansion, firewood collection and overgrazing.

By 2015, the country ranked among Africa's least forested nations, with around 10 percent of its territory still covered by woodland, the study said.

The report had also warned of further degradation if reforestation and sustainable management efforts were not implemented -- concerns now compounded by the ongoing conflict.

- 'Barrier' -

Aboubakr Al-Tayeb, who oversees Khartoum's forestry administration, said the damage "affects not only Khartoum, but Sudan and the wider African continent."

"The forest was home to several migratory species from Europe," he told AFP.

More than a hundred bird species, including ducks, geese, terns, ibis, herons, eagles and vultures, had been recorded in the area, alongside monkeys and small mammals.

Al-Nazir Ali Babiker, an agronomist, said the loss of tree cover could cause more severe seasonal flooding because the "forest acted as a barrier" against rising waters.

Flooding strikes Sudan every year, destroying homes, farmland and infrastructure and leaving many families with no choice but to flee to safer areas.

The war in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has already killed tens of thousands, displaced 11 million and shattered critical infrastructure.

Before the fighting, forests supplied roughly 70 percent of Sudan's energy consumption, primarily through charcoal and firewood, according to data from the African Forest Forum.

Al-Sunut had also been a popular leisure spot for Khartoum residents.

"We used to come in groups to study and have a good time," recalls Adam Hafiz Ibrahim, a student at Omdurman Islamic University.

Today, wood gatherers have supplanted the usual walkers. Disregarding army notices alerting them to landmines, men and women traverse the dry, open ground that now stands where the ancient forest once grew.

"We're not cutting the trees. We just pick up whatever wood's already on the ground to use for the fire," said Nafisa, a woman in her forties navigating the dry grasslands.

"We found the trees down. We collect the wood to sell to bakeries and families," said Mohamed Zakaria, a construction worker who lost his job because of the war.

Experts say that the economic hardship caused by the war combined with a lack of enforcement has encouraged logging.

"The logging continues, because those responsible for forest protection cannot access many areas," said Mousa el-Sofori, head of Sudan's Forests National Corporation.

Efforts to replant acacias are underway, Tayeb of the Khartoum forestry administration said, but seedlings grow slowly and can take years to mature.

Restoring the lost woodlands would be "long and costly", said Sofori.

"Some of these forests were centuries old," he added.