Cairo: About six months before Egypt’s presidential elections, loyalists of President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi have launched a series of campaigns mobilising support for his re-election.
Organisers of the nationwide campaigns say they will not stop until the Egyptian leader announces he’s standing for reelection next year, crediting him for the relentless war on terror and efforts to heal the ailing economy.
“Al Sissi is the suitable man at this time in Egypt, when the country is facing a war aimed at bringing it to its knees,” Ahmad Abdul Hadi, an organiser of the “With You for the Sake of Egypt” campaign, said.
“He has brought salvation for the Egyptian state and made risky, radical changes. Therefore, he is the man most qualified for leading the country for the next four years,” Abdul Hadi told Gulf News.
Egypt has experienced a wave of deadly militant attacks since 2013 when the army, then led by Al Sissi, ousted Islamist president Mohammad Mursi following enormous street protests against his divisive rule.
In mid-2014, Al Sissi took office as president following a landslide election win. He has staked his legitimacy on re-establishing security in the country after years of unrest and revitalising its battered economy.
“The aim of our campaign is not just Al Sissi’s re-election. It is also aimed at achieving popular mobilisation and citizens’ awareness about the perils besetting Egypt, including terrorism,” added Abdul Hadi, the head of the Egypt Youth Party.
He said the campaign has the backing of more than 20 political parties and alliances.
“When Al Sissi took the helm, the Egyptian state was experiencing unusual collapse in all fields, especially in economy and security. But in record time, he has succeeded in saving the country and putting it on the right track,” Abdul Hadi said.
In recent months, the Egyptian government has taken a string of tough steps, including flotation of the pound and slashing state subsidies on energy.
The measures have earned the country a bailout loan of $12 billion over three years from the International Monetary Fund. However, the moves have also resulted in price rises.
Annual inflation surged to a record 35.2 per cent in July, before it dropped to 33.2 per cent in September, according to official figures. Al Sissi has acknowledged hardships resulting from economic reforms and urged Egyptians to be patient.
The 62-year-old leader has not yet said he will seek a second term, although he is most likely to stand for presidency again.
In recent weeks, many public figures, including politicians, actors and athletes as well as state officials have been shown in the media signing petitions by pro-Sissi campaigners calling on him to run in the elections expected in May.
The “So You can Build it” campaign last week announced collecting over 3 million endorsements in one month in favour of Al Sissi’s candidacy.
“The campaign will continue its activities until President Al Sissi announces his nomination for a second term in order to complete the economic reform march,” Karim Salem, the spokesman for the drive, said.
“Citizens’ eagerness to join the campaign has given it a strong impetus. Citizens are vying to volunteer and gather [pro-Al Sissi] signatures in all provinces,” Salem, who is a member of the parliament, said at a recent press conference.
Some commentators have criticised such campaigns, calling them undemocratic.
“They do more harm than good to the president because campaigners believe he [Al Sissi] needs publicity,” said Amr Hashem, an expert at the state-run Al Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
“Allowing these campaigns to enter state institutions to collect signatures also puts pressure on employees in these institutions to sign the [pro-Al Sissi] petitions for fear they may face a sort of punishment if they don’t.”
He warned that such campaigns will benefit the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood, from which Mursi hails. “The Brothers will take advantage of these campaigns to portray the current ruling system in Egypt as undemocratic, and talk about the democratic elections that led them to govern Egypt [in 2012],” Hashem added in a comment in private newspaper Al Masry Al Youm.
He also finds the ongoing rallies unconstitutional. “They constitute a flagrant violation of the constitution because these campaigns present publicity before candidacy for the presidential elections starts in February next year.”
