El Watan’s Emad Gad asks why religiously-affiliated parties maintain a presence in parliament when the parties should have been dissolved under the new constitution.

Mahmoud Khalil and Emad El Din Adib both published pieces calling for a clamp-down on corruption, with Adib going as far as to say “corruption among the authorities is the most severe threat to national security … [particularly given] its threat to . ..the 33% of families who earn less than EGP 12 a day.” Meanwhile, Khalil praised the 20% discount initiative, but says moving forward with investigating corruption files is more critical, which the authorities have allegedly not paid “enough attention” to. Citizens won’t be convinced by arguments for austerity unless corruption is more thoroughly probed, he says.

The Al Masry Al Youm columnist with the Pseudonym Newton says the state should be blamed for being shortsighted on the sugar shortage. Traders should not be blamed for stockpiling sugar to lock in profits: Traders will always serve themselves, whereas the state should serve all people.