For years, many have wondered why our rulers cling so tightly to political control and economic privilege. The truth is that the system they have built cannot survive openness or competition. They know that in a genuinely free election they would be held accountable for decades of economic mismanagement and greed. They know that in a fair economy, where opportunity depends on merit rather than patronage, they would no longer be guaranteed access to the wealth they have accumulated through state power. Rigging elections and manipulating institutions are not just political strategies — they are the means through which the regime protects its economic interests and the networks that sustain it.