Report: Egypt’s grip on Arab League leadership faces challenge from Gulf states

For much of the Arab League’s 80-year existence, Egypt has held a privileged position — hosting the organization’s headquarters and occupying its top post. These roles were enshrined in the League’s founding charter, reflecting Egypt’s status as the Arab world’s most populous nation.

But with Gulf states like Saudi Arabia gaining greater political and economic clout, that long-standing arrangement is being challenged.

“Demands for picking a non-Egyptian for the top office of the Arab League keep recurring,” Ahmed Youssef, a political science professor at Cairo University told the New Arab. “However, the selection of the next chief should focus more on the candidate's qualifications than his nationality.”

The term of current Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit ends this September. Egypt is expected to nominate Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly as his successor, while Saudi Arabia is reportedly backing Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir — a seasoned diplomat with extensive international credentials.

Though similar debates have surfaced in the past, what sets this moment apart is the intensity of the public discourse, now amplified through social media and street-level conversation.

Analysts worry that Egypt’s regional influence is eroding, and that Madbouly may struggle to compete against al-Jubeir’s broader global experience.

“Madbouly’s nomination is not only about fielding a weak candidate,” wrote exiled opposition figure and former presidential candidate Ayman Nour on Facebook, “but about a first step in a broader decline.” He warned that Egypt’s retreat from Arab leadership could ultimately reshape the region’s balance of power.