Egyptians have been gripped by the dramatic start to their country’s unexpectedly early presidential election campaign.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s re-election – now for a six-year term – seems virtually guaranteed even as his government grapples with record inflation and massive debt.
Yet an outspoken critic, the left-wing politician and former MP, Ahmed al-Tantawi, who hopes to be his main opponent, has put on a political campaign of a kind that Egypt has rarely seen in recent years.
Keen to build momentum, President Sisi hosted a huge, three-day televised conference called “Story of the Homeland” to relate his narrative of the past decade and officially announce his candidacy.
“Just as I responded to the calls of Egyptians before, today I respond to their call again, and I decided to nominate myself for you to complete the dream in a new presidential term,” Mr Sisi told the audience of officials and notables to cheers and applause.
“I call on all Egyptians to participate in this democratic environment to choose with their patriotic conscience who is worthy,” he said.
On cue, large crowds appeared in a show of support in cities across Egypt.
Thousands jammed into a square in Giza, enthusiastically waving flags. While many there were drawn from nearby poor neighbourhoods, attracted by the prospect of a party with well-known singers, others told the BBC they were government workers instructed to attend.
As Egypt’s popular but tightly controlled TV talk shows focused on these pictures, videos were also shared on social media of small protests, most notably in the small coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, where banners showing the president were torn down and destroyed.
Several Arabic hashtags were soon trending. Not just “Sisi” with calls for a “million man” march to back him, but also “Leave, loser”, quickly drawing thousands of reposts.
The decision to schedule the election for 10-12 December – months earlier than necessary – appears to be linked to Egypt’s severe economic crisis, with experts predicting another tough decision to devalue the currency is on the cards next year.
At this week’s conference, held in Egypt’s new administrative capital – a costly megaproject of Mr Sisi’s government being built in the desert east of Cairo – the president called on ordinary people to accept sacrifices to deal with soaring prices.
“Don’t you Egyptians dare say you would rather eat than build and progress,” he said. “If the price of the nation’s progress and prosperity is to go hungry and thirsty, then let us not eat or drink.”
—BBC
