Army holds new challenger to Sisi
EGYPT: The strongest remaining challenger to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the elections scheduled for March has been detained by the military.
Supporters of General Sami Anan said he was held yesterday after being summoned to Cairo to be questioned over his political ambitions.
The army released a statement accusing Anan of announcing his intention to run for president ‘‘without getting permission from the armed forces... or taking the steps necessary to terminate his service’’.
He is the fifth potential challenger to Sisi to be blocked by the authorities or encouraged to change their mind about running in the presidential elections from March 26-28.
The military claimed Anan had falsified documents certifying he had left the army; a condition of standing. ‘‘The armed forces will not overlook the blatant legal violations [Anan] has committed, which are a serious breach of the laws of military service,’’ the statement read.
‘General Anan launched his presidential bid last week by posting a video on Facebook promising to ‘‘ensure rights and freedoms, and preserve the spirit of justice and the values of the republican system’’.
His statement was a clear attack on Sisi, who has grown increasingly authoritarian as the economic crisis afflicting Egypt since he came to power 41⁄2 years ago grows.
Colonel Ahmed Konswa, another rival, was sentenced last month to six years in prison for violating the rules of the military after declaring his intention to run while still a serving soldier. Anan is expected to meet the same fate.
Other contenders who have fallen by the wayside include Khaled Ali, a human rights lawyer who faces a three-month jail sentence for making a lewd gesture, and Ahmed Shafik, a former prime minister who withdrew his candidacy after being deported from the United Arab Emirates and then enduring a 24-hour kidnapping ordeal with his family in Egypt.
Mohamed Anwar al-Sadat, nephew of Anwar al-Sadat, the president who led a liberalisation programme until his assassination in 1981, had considered standing but pulled out last week saying he feared for the safety of his supporters.
Sisi was a director of military intelligence under President Hosni Mubarak, who rose to power after Sadat’s murder. Mubarak clung on for 30 years, becoming increasingly disconnected from and loathed by Egyptians until he was unseated by a popular revolution in 2011.
His replacement, Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, was democratically elected but quickly became unpopular because of his economic mismanagement. He was ousted in a coup in 2013 and replaced by Sisi, who is now seeking a second term.
The only candidate left running against him is Mortada Mansour, head of the Egyptian football team Zamalek Sporting Club.
Lashin Ibrahim, head of the National Election Authority, said yesterday the poll would be under judicial supervision ‘‘to guarantee transparency and integrity’’. However, last year Sisi changed the law to give himself the power to appoint the heads of the country’s judicial bodies. –