Many Egyptians welcome Sisi as presidential candidate Ashraf Sadek -Cairo Many Egyptians have welcomed a Wednesday announcement by Mr. Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, the ex-Minister of Defence, saying that he would run for president in elections, describing his move as a timely contribution to the country. They have thrown their support behind el-Sisi, whom they regard as a consensus leader, “who will restore security and stability to the nation after three years of turmoil”. El-Sisi announced his presidential bid after he resigned from the armed forces — a required step since only a civilians can run for the nations top-post in accordance with the 2014 Constitution. Ahmed Assem, a Cairo resident, on Thursday described el-Sisis declaration as an extremely positive move in the right direction and pledged to rally support for the former field marshal, saying that the Egyptians have to give him every possible chance to achieve his goals for the country. Earlier in the week, Mr. Amr Moussa, who chaired a 50-person panel for drafting the 2014 Constitution, said that a tentative electoral platform by Mr. el-Sisi aimed at re-building a modern Egyptian state, reinvigorating the national economy and effecting social justice for all Egyptians. These lofty goals would allow the Egyptians to work together for the sake of their country regardless to their political affiliations, Amira Khalid, a Ain Shams University student, said. Miss Khalid said that she welcomed el-Sisi as the new president of Egypt because he was a light at the end of the tunnel. She said that the level of enthusiasm for el-Sisi among her colleagues was high because they believed that the ex-minister of defence was going in a right way to give the nation another path for political and economic stability. I dont know how long it will take Mr. el-Sisi to achieve this goals. But, I am sure he will make a very big effort towards this end, Miss Khalid said. Adel Sabri, a government employee, said that he wanted to see el-Sisi as the new president of Egypt because the country needed a strong man like him especially during this critical time. Meanwhile, Hesham Atef, another student, was more pessimistic about el-Sisis announcement. Quite frankly, I have very little hope, Atef said. At the end of the day, there is a government that is very adamant about not making any progress. Atef said that he was certain the government would continue its crackdown on the Islamists that started since the overthrowing of president Mohamed Morsi last July. He also said that the Sisi announcement would further inflame street protests by the Islamist and secular activists alike. Meanwhile, members of a Cairo-based pro-Morsi alliance, known as the Islamist Strong Egypt, called for mass protests today against el-Sisi’s election bid. “We are against el-Sisi’s nomination because it poses a grave danger to Egypt’s future and the sought-after democracy,” the alliance said in a statement. In a related development, running battles flared outside the Ministry of Defence building in the Cairo neighbourhood of Cairo, a flashpoint for violence, between anti-Sisi young men and riot police troops. The troops had earlier pulled back in what seemed to be an effort to calm tension after they showered the stone-throwing demonstrators with tear gas bombs and fired guns into the air. In another development, celebrations broke out in some neighbourhoods of Cairo to welcome the ex-field marshalls presidential bid. In their hundreds, the flag-waving celebrants shouted, sang patriotic songs, whistled, blew car horns and gathered in some squares of the capital. “El-Sisi deserved to be the president. He will be the president of all Egyptians,” Cairo resident Amr Mohammed said. A group of housewives put a table in a Cairo street and handed out sweets and free cans of juice to passers-byt. Madam Fatima, a woman who helped to distribute the refreshments, said: This is for the sake of Egypt. We are celebrating that we are getting el-Sisi as president.”
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:58:24 +0000
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