It was no surprise when former Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won a landslide victory in the low turnout presidential election on May 26-27. Though el-Sisi's election might conclude the last phase of the competition for power between him and his challenger Hamdeen Sabbahy, it does not necessarily initiate a meaningful new step of political transformation in Egypt. Egypt's political transformation will still be difficult due to the elitism of Egypt's domestic politics.

Resources allow a politician to seize power, whether in a democracy or an authoritarian entity. El-Sisi's election can be attributed to the resources of the Egyptian army. While it is true that the corruption of former president Hosni Mubarak's rule greatly undermined the army's image ,and the collapse of Mubarak's regime caused serious negative effects, the army has become an undisturbed empire within the state after a decade of effort collecting resources. It has become a human and material resource that controls the media and has the support of the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Sisi's election can also be attributed to the stability Egyptians thought he would bring to the country. It is true that el-Sisi's election was nothing more than a process to legalize the supreme power he gained through a military coup in July 2013 and is considered a restoration of the old regime because of his political background. On the other hand, three years of "revolution" hasn't resulted in freedom or improved living conditions. Instead, life has become more difficult for Egyptians and security is not guaranteed. Now people want stability and security instead of revolution. They expected normalcy from el-Sisi.

Despite being a new development, the election does not necessarily elicit a new stage of Egypt's political transformation. The political transformation in developing countries like Egypt is usually determined by the decisions of the elite. Successful political transformation in Arab and other developing countries largely depends on whether elites of different factions can reach a compromise on the distribution of power. Elites also influence street politics.

No other political force can compare to the strength of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose power mainly comes from its social service network, which the Brotherhood used to win the 2012 presidential election. This should have been a good opportunity for successful political transformation. Unfortunately, Mohamed Morsi, former president and representative of the Brotherhood, didn't demonstrate tolerance, but adopted measures to concentrate the government power in his own hands. His policies caused the protests and demonstrations in the year 2012-2013 and prompted the military coup of July 2013.

The 2014 election should be another opportunity for positive change; however, judging by el-Sisi's actions since July 2013, positive change won't come anytime soon. After the coup, the army did not take measures to pacify the angry Brotherhood. Instead, it adopted tough measures that included suppressing the group's street movements and capturing Brotherhood elites. In 2014, a court even sentenced hundreds of Morsi supporters to death. When will the power struggle end?

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://china.org.cn/opinion/jinliangxiang.htm

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