Abdul Fattah al-Sisi

Position: President of Egypt

Biography: Since being elected president in May 2014, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has continued his crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. He has also taken measures to limit public demonstrations and exert greater control over non-governmental organisations and the media, marking a return to the strong-arm tactics of former president Hosni Mubarak.

With the growing limitations on freedom stirring resentment, Al-Sisi must ensure progress is made on revitalising the economy in 2015. A five-year reform programme was announced in October that aims to reduce public debt and shrink the fiscal deficit through susbidy cuts and efficiencies.

But this needs to be accompanied by investments in areas that materially improve the lives of the ordinary citizen, such as provision of basic utilities, education, healthcare and job creation. Four years on from the revolution, blackouts continue to plague Egypt and unemployment remains stubbornly high.