Luxor4u

'I cannot turn my back when majority wants me to run for president', says Egypt's El-Sisi.

Egyptian army chief Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has given another large hint that he will stand for president in upcoming elections.

“I cannot turn my back when the majority wants me to run for president,” El-Sisi said in a speech at an officers' graduation ceremony on Tuesday.

"The formal procedures will be finalised over the coming days," he added.

A new law governing Egypt's upcoming presidential elections has been revised and was sent on Monday to interim President Adly Mansour for a final review. After the law is issued, the presidential race will officially start.

El-Sisi called on people to work together as “nobody can work alone for the country’s advancement in such circumstances.”

The army chief's popularity skyrocketed after he announced the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi on 3 July following mass protests against his rule.

Many Egyptians have called on him to stand for president but he is yet to formally announce his candidacy.

El-Sisi, who was initially appointed defence minister by Morsi, was promoted to Field Marshal by interim President Adly Mansour in January.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has backed a presidential bid by the army chief.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/95852.aspx

Good on him, he of course has to bow to the 'majority, probably twisting his arm... "any body that wants to be a politician should be banned for that very reason.' Billy Connolly...anon!

Hope he can run because he might need it to escape the next revolution.

Hafiz wrote:Hope he can run because he might need it to escape the next revolution.

Well Hafiz, the other week I had to go to Middle Egypt for the day and noticed that for the first time huge posters of our dear Field Marshall without his uniform including military cap. I hardly recognised him, by the time I got back to Luxor, I discovered these posters there also. Speaking to some of the ladies here, they now find him to be much less attractive, being that he has very little hair on top, as we would say,............never did trust that now British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, when he tried to get hold of the key to 10 Downing Street.

So, the wedding might be off even before the honeymoon period, in political terms, has actually begins.

Watch this space. .

He must be hoping to defy the dictum that '....you can't fool all of the people all of the time'. But with a tight control on the media you can have a bloody good try Also a good idea not to 'turn your back on the people'. Better to have them where you can keep a firm eye on them

newcastle wrote:He must be hoping to defy the dictum that '....you can't fool all of the people all of the time'. But with a tight control on the media you can have a bloody good try Also a good idea not to 'turn your back on the people'. Better to have them where you can keep a firm eye on them

Funny you should mention the above Newcastle, I stayed in last night and watch that Nile TV. There was a long interview with some sort of government minister, basically asking all Egyptian ex-pats (some one million, or so, of them) to send home more of their extra $'s. The more I watched this program, the more even I felt as though I was being soaked in.

In the old days here, you could only get such as Nile TV, these days though, what with satellite and internet, the middle and upper class in Egypt get a mixed view,...................but then again, would they ever vote for the likes of Morsi.

So it seems you can fool 'all' of the people, but not in the long term (Mubarak 30 years) like the old days here. .

P.S. - Egypt has enough grain for its people until June, - reminds me of the old days of the Roman Emperors.

A-Four wrote:Speaking to some of the ladies here, they now find him to be much less attractive, being that he has very little hair on top, as we would say,...........

Egyptian or expat?

Glyphdoctor wrote:

A-Four wrote:Speaking to some of the ladies here, they now find him to be much less attractive, being that he has very little hair on top, as we would say,...........

Egyptian or expat?

Now, now Glyph, you are not going to catch me out with that old trick. .

I doubt the Field Marshall's hair - or lack of it - will impinge on his electoral chances. He may lose a bit more when he starts to grapple with Egypt's socio-economic problems and it would be foolhardy of anyone to take the mick

I bet the banks are loving us Kiss me Quick tourists in Sharm, what with all those dollar$ and and UK Pound$ that are flooding in...

I suspect a devaluation of the LE is on the horizon...

still, if the **** hits the fan, those Bankers and Politico can hop onto a Learjet with suitcases packed full of paper notes and head off into the setting sun, and set up home in Acapulco..

A-Four are you suggesting that part of Sisi's pulling power is his sex appeal - particularly with women? A sort of Egyptian version of Berlusconi who was, until his extensive facelift and hair transplant, hirsutley challenged.

Sadat and Mubarak were thin on the top so it doesn't seem to be an impediment to power in Egypt. What is it about military leaders in Egypt which causes balding?