Egyptian media personality Lamees El Hadidi commented on the decision to increase electricity outages across the country beyond the usual two hours per day, stressing that "electricity is not a luxury." The Ministries of Electricity and Petroleum announced an increase in power load-shedding for an additional hour on Sundays and Mondays, raising it to three hours instead of two. However, some areas experienced outages lasting up to four hours.
El Hadidi expressed her concerns on her X account, stating: "What does it mean to have 4-hour power cuts in 43-degree heat with no specified times? There are elderly people who can't bear it, sick people, students studying, and people stuck in elevators. Even ordinary people have the right to this."
She continued: "Electricity is not a luxury; it is the citizen's right and the state's duty. People are more important than the cold budget figures of the primary surplus." She added, "If Port Said has 4 hours of power cuts, how many hours do Upper Egypt provinces have? Power cuts mean water cuts, phone and internet outages, and damage to electrical appliances. Who will compensate people for all of this? In the end, where is the solution? We must know this is our right."
El Hadidi directed a message to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, saying: "To the busy Prime Minister forming the government: there is money for importing gas, aside from the funds from the IMF and the $30 billion in foreign investments in debt instruments. Why aren't we importing gas for electricity instead of this disgrace?"
El Hadidi's posts came in response to the Ministry of International Cooperation's announcement of successfully mobilizing around $2 billion from international financing institutions to support the public budget and stimulate structural reform policies to enhance the private sector's role in the country.
She further stated: "Don't tell us all the money went to pay off debts! Because we haven’t paid all the debts to foreign oil companies, which is one of the reasons for the gas shortage. Where did the money go? We want an answer; this is our right. And why was there no planning for the gas shortage at all? Stop using the sudden heat wave as an excuse when you're cutting electricity in both heat and cold."
