Egypt to raise army pensions for 10th time since 2013 military coup

Egypt's parliament has approved a draft law to raise pensions for military personnel for the tenth time since former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in a coup.

Lawmakers on Sunday voted to pass the text of the law to increase soldiers' pensions by 15 percent but a final vote was delayed to a later session because of lack a quorum, The New Arab's Arabic-language service reported.

The law would also set the minimum monthly payout to 900 Egyptian pounds ($115) in line with a recent increase in the pensions of civil servants.

This is the tenth time Egyptian authorities have raised military pensions since Sisi took control after ousting the country's first democratically elected leader in 2013.

In contrast, civil servants' pensions have only been raised five times.

The move comes as Sisi - himself a retired general - has enacted stringent austerity measures that have hit poor and middle-class Egyptians especially hard.

Sisi has broadened the military's already-huge role in the country's economy and politics.

Last month, constitutional changes passed by a snap referendum declared the military the "guardian and protector" of the Egyptian state, democracy and the constitution.

The amendments also granted military courts wider jurisdiction in trying civilians.