Egypt President Sisi sworn in for 2nd 4-year term
CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi vowed to tackle jihadists and revive the economy as he was sworn in yesterday for a second four-year term after a wave of arrests. Sisi took the presidential oath before a packed parliament after winning 97 percent of valid votes in March’s presidential election. Fighter jets drew an Egyptian flag in the sky above Cairo and military helicopters flew over the city centre as the president made his way to parliament, where he was greeted with a 21-gun salute.
“Together we face economic, social and political challenges and their negative effects on all aspects of life,” he said. Speaking at a ceremony that followed a series of arrests targeting civil society critics and opponents, Sisi called for “consensus” and unity. “Only those who have opted for violence, terrorism and extremism will be excluded from common spaces,” he said. Sisi has regularly been accused by human rights defenders of violating public freedoms and silencing opponents.
Two of those arrested in recent months are Wael Abbas, a blogger and journalist, and Shadi Ghazali Harb, a youth leader during the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. Before addressing public officials and religious authorities, the president led a minute’s silence for the Egyptians who had died “for the country”. Egypt has been hit by a series of deadly militant attacks in recent years. Jihadists have killed hundreds of soldiers, policemen and civilians, mainly in the northern Sinai peninsula but also elsewhere in Egypt. “Together we fought brutal terrorism that sought to undermine the unity of our homeland,” he said.
Seven years after the January 2011 uprising, Sisi will face two major challenges in his second term: security and economic recovery. Since February 9, the army has been conducting a vast military campaign to “cleanse” the country of terrorists. The fighting has so far killed at least 200 jihadists and 35 soldiers, according to official figures. Since taking office, Sisi has enacted a series of reforms aimed at stabilising an economy hit by security threats and runaway inflation. —