Cairo: A passionate call by Egypt’s leading presidential contender Abdul Fattah Al Sissi on his compatriots to work hard to revitalise an ailing economy has become a popular ringtone in the lead-up to this month’s elections, which he is expected to win.
“We have a hope that Egypt will return to its glories,” comes the voice of Al Sissi, an ex-army chief, against a background of soft music.
“This will not happen without hard work,” he adds in the ringtone based on a quote taken from one of his recent addresses.
“These are the Egyptians I know. This is Egypt I always serve. I also promise you that I’ll do my best. Work is all I have. Work is what all I require from you all.”
Al Sissi has gained cultlike adulation since July last year when he led the army’s overthrow of Islamist president Mohammad Mursi following enormous protests against his one-year rule.
Al Sissi’s supporters see him as a strongman able to end more than three years of turmoil that has gripped Egypt since a 2011 uprising forced long-standing president Hosni Mubarak to step down.
His detractors say his election will mark a return to the Mubarak-era despotism.
Al Sissi last week declared in a pre-recorded TV interview that if elected president, he would give priority to re-establishing security and rejuvenating economy.
His only challenger in the May 26-27 elections is Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist politician, who came third in the 2012 presidential polls won by Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
