ELECTION WATCH: The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces dissolved the National Democratic Party-dominated parliament following Mr. Mubarak’s resignation in February. In mid-March a majority voted in favor of a package of amendments to the constitution in a referendum, paving the way for a legislative election to be held in September and a presidential election to follow. However, following a new outbreak of mass protests, the army council decided to postpone the parliamentary election, although it is still scheduled to go ahead before the end of the year.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: In the wake of the revolution, Egypt received pledges of political and economic support from key international players seeking to facilitate its transition to a more democratic system. The US, the World Bank and the IMF committed to providing Egypt with billions of US dollars of financial assistance. Egypt’s subsequent decision to turn down help from the IMF and the World Bank will not have an adverse effect on its relations with the multilateral organisations and they are likely to come to its aid again in the future if required.