El Sisi delivers state of the nation address: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave his state of the nation address yesterday, outlining the accomplishments of his administration over the past four years, Ahram Online reports. The president has said that he would use reactions to the address to decide whether to run for reelection in March. A decision is expected to be announced by next week as the deadline for candidates to apply with the National Elections Committee expires at the end of the month. We have highlights below, or you can watch the full address here (watch, runtime: 1:06:31).

On the economic reforms, El Sisi, speaking at a conference headlined “Story of the Nation,” said his administration’s reforms have already started bearing fruit in improved economic indicators. He thanked the people for their patience while these long-overdue reforms were enacted. El Sisi singled out for particular praise his administration’s work on national megaprojects, which have numbered 11,000 since he took office, he said, and have cost c. EGP 2 tn, Al Mal reports.

On the political front, El Sisi notes how Egypt managed to avoid the civil wars which have plagued other regional countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. He praised the people’s efforts to hold a unified front against terrorism and “laying the foundation for building a modern, democratic society.” The president paid special tribute to the role of women in society, saying the Egyptian woman remains the backbone of the nation.

As for regional affairs, El Sisi spoke of Egypt’s reemerging regional role, saying that “Egypt is once again at the heart of defending the security, unity and interests of its Arab brethren.” He added that Egypt has regained its rightful international position, but maintains its sovereign, independent positions on all issues.