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Will Egyptian parliament cut into the military's profit margin?

The Egyptian army’s strength may hinder any attempt at limiting its economic activities.
A general view of narrow houses and factories in Cairo May 22, 2014.  Days before a presidential election he seems certain to win, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi released a detailed, colour-coded rendering of "The Map of the Future", designed to reassure Egyptians he is serious about attracting investment in their battered economy. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: CITYSCAPE POLITICS ELECTIONS BUSINESS) - RTR3QEKP
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Egypt's politicians are preparing to do battle against its army. A number of lawmakers in the country's recently elected parliament are working on laws designed to provide answers to questions about the army's money and its place in the national budget.

“Armies are the basis of the administration and the administration is everything,” Maj. Gen. Mahmoud Nasr said at a conference four years ago on the role of the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) in supporting the economy through the institution’s many projects. At the same conference, held in Cairo and organized by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, he stressed that the so-called "army economy" is not derived from state funds, but rather from returns on Ministry of Defense projects.

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