The Godot of Egypt After years of turmoil, many Egyptians view Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a saviour - but miracles are unlikely, experts warn. e Last updated: 20 Apr 2014 11:49 As speculation crystallised into certainty about his presidential bid, former Egyptian military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been received like a saviour by throngs of the countrys populace. Sisis name and image have been plastered on everything from clothing and jewelry to chocolates and sandwiches, with supporters passionately defending a man they have compared to beloved former president Gamal Abdel Nasser. When Sisi formally registered last week as a candidate for the May vote, he delivered 200,000 signatures to Egypts election commission - eight times the number required. All but guaranteed of electoral victory, Sisi is set to inherit a country mired in political and economic crisis, with unemployment hovering around 13 percent. Egyptians are desperate for a better future, and Sisis strong links to the military - viewed broadly as the only functioning institution in the country - have allowed him to solidify a formidable base, said Nancy Okail, executive director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a US nonprofit research organisation focused on Middle Eastern countries undergoing democratic transitions. In addition to his lifelong military career, Sisi has close ties to Egypts new military chief, General Sedki Sobhi, and the new army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy, the father-in-law of Sisis son. I dont think there is overwhelming consensus on him, whether he can bring about some sort of stability and prosperity. That remains a big question mark. - Samer Atallah, assistant professor of economics, American University in Cairo As prerequisites for economic growth, of course, stability and security are widely demanded, Okail told Al Jazeera. The military, and by extension Sisi, are widely seen as combating the threat presented by the Muslim Brotherhood and other organisations. The element of power - the idea of a delivering to the people a more secure Egypt - is certainly wrapped up within the emerging Sisi mythos. ________________________________________ RELATED: Opinion - Sisis speech: Reading between the lines ________________________________________ Born in Cairo in 1954, Sisi spent many years in military training and served as a military attache in Saudi Arabia during the era of President Hosni Mubarak. After the 2011 revolution that ousted Mubarak, Sisi took charge of Egypts military intelligence, and later presided over the 2013 coup detat that removed Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Morsi from power. Speculation about Sisis plans to run in the 2014 election emerged swiftly afterwards, but it was not until late March that he officially gave up the uniform in exchange for a presidential bid. I have spent all my life as a soldier for the sake of the country... I am telling you that I intend to run for the president of Egypt, and this support from you will give me this honour, Sisi said in a nationally televised address, suggesting he could restore order in a country threatened by terrorists. For months, Sisi has played on the citizenrys fears, trumpeting the countrys crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood as a way to restore stability. On December 25, Egypts interim government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, and more than 500 of the groups supporters have since been sentenced to death. A recent poll by the Egyptian Centre for Public Opinion Research indicated that nearly 40 percent of voters would cast a ballot for Sisi, compared to less than one percent for Egyptian politician Hamdeen Sabahi, his only confirmed challenger. The number was down from about 50 percent who supported Sisi in an earlier March poll. Close to 60 percent of the electorate remained undecided, and in the meantime, Sisis opponents have taken to social media to denounce his bid, creating the hashtag #VoteForThePimp as a counterattack against a surge of pro-Sisi posts. I dont think there is overwhelming consensus on him, whether he can bring about some sort of stability and prosperity. That remains a big question mark, Samer Atallah, an assistant professor of economics at the American University in Cairo, told Al Jazeera. With a dearth of independent opinion polls in the country, Atallah said, it is difficult to gauge how much of the ongoing Sisi-mania is genuine, and how much is amplified by the media. He is not competing against other candidates; what hes competing against is indifference and disillusionment. - Michele Dunne, senior associate with Carnegies Middle East Program You can ask someone and hell say, Yes, hell bring stability and hes the only saviour, and the type of stories you read in the media. You can ask someone else and hell tell you the totally opposite, Atallah said.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Apr 2014 16:52:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015