CAIRO, March 26 (Reuters) – Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who ousted Egypt’s first freely elected leader, declared his candidacy yesterday for a presidential election he is expected to easily win.
Sisi toppled Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last July after mass protests against his rule and has emerged as the most influential figure in an interim administration that has governed since then.
“I am here before you humbly stating my intention to run for the presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt,” Sisi said in a televised address to the nation. “Only your support will grant me this great honour.”
A Sisi presidency would mark a return to the days when Egypt was led by men from the military, a pattern briefly interrupted by Mursi’s one year in office after his 2012 victory in Egypt’s first democratic presidential election.
Among his supporters, Sisi is wildly popular. Many see him as the kind of strong man needed to stabilize a country in crisis. But he is reviled by the Islamist opposition as the mastermind of a coup against a freely elected leader.
Dressed in military fatigues, Sisi vowed to fight what he described as a terrorist threat facing Egypt, a reference to militant attacks that have spiralled since he ousted Mursi.
“True, today is my last day in military uniform, but I will continue to fight every day for an Egypt free of fear and terrorism,” said Sisi, 59, who had to resign his posts of army chief and minister of defence so he could run in the election.
General Sedki Sobhi, formally chief of staff, replaces Sisi as head of the army. Seeking to cap sky-high expectations, Sisi warned he could not perform “miracles” in a country of 85 million that is steeped in poverty. “I cannot make miracles. Rather, I propose hard work and self-denial,” he said. Before his address, state TV broadcast montages including footage of Sisi jogging with troops. He has been lionized by privately owned and state media that are hostile to the Islamists.
He said, “We must be truthful with ourselves. Our country faces great challenges. Our economy is weak. There are millions of youths who suffer from unemployment in Egypt.”
Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi is the only other declared candidate for the election. He came in third in the 2012 election.
Commenting on Sisi’s candidacy, the United States, a major source of military aid to Egypt, said it did not support individual candidates or parties in Egyptian elections.
“As the election process moves forward we urge the Egyptian authorities to ensure that the elections are free, fair, and transparent; that all candidates are able to campaign freely, without fear of harassment or intimidation; and that the views of all the Egyptian people are fully represented,” White House National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement.
