Sisi's Delegation to the Minister of Defense in His Powers.. Experts Explain

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Misinterpretations spread on social media following the decision of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to delegate Defense Minister Lieutenant General Ashraf Salim Zahir with some of the powers of the President of the Republic as stipulated in the Public Mobilization Law, for a year starting from the first of November.

Some interpreted the decision as a prelude to declaring war and preparing for public mobilization, which military experts and specialists denied, confirming that it is an administrative and periodic procedure that is renewed annually.

The military and strategic affairs specialist, Major General Ayman Abdel Mohsen, told "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net" that the importance of the presidential decision lies in being a legal and administrative organizational procedure to facilitate strategic and executive work, explaining that it aims to transfer some executive and administrative powers related to human and material resources of the Public Mobilization Law directly to the military institution.

The military specialist added that this procedure allows for flexibility and speed in dealing with any administrative needs without the need to wait for direct decisions from the President of the Republic, pointing out that although the decision is a usual legal procedure, granting the Defense Minister these powers for a year enhances the readiness of state apparatuses and gives them the ability to move quickly administratively to secure national interests and security arrangements.

Lieutenant General Abdul Mohsen added: "In short, the decision does not represent a declaration of a state of maximum emergency, but rather an organizational coordination to enhance the efficiency and speed of decision-making within the relevant state institutions for public mobilization."

He confirmed that the declaration of war and public mobilization in Egypt is the prerogative of the President of the Republic, after consulting the National Defense Council and obtaining the approval of the House of Representatives, while the National Security Council is responsible for developing strategies to ensure state security and address disasters and crises.

For his part, Mohamed Radi, Secretary of the Defense and National Security Committee in the Egyptian House of Representatives, told "Al Arabiya.net" and "Al Hadath.net" that the decision "is not new" and does not indicate a state of exceptional emergency or readiness for war as rumored.

He added that "the current delegation comes in the context of continuing the work of the previous delegation," pointing out that similar decisions were issued in previous years, including decision No. 624 of 2025, in addition to precedents extending back decades, where previous presidential decisions included delegating the Minister of Defense with the same competencies.

Deputy Mohamed Radi indicated that the aim of the delegation is to facilitate dealing with the administrative, human, and material needs of the armed forces from the civilian sector, within the frameworks defined by law, emphasizing that the existence of a law for public mobilization or the issuance of a decision delegating some of its competencies does not automatically mean that the state has declared public mobilization.