Sadat’s nephew bows out of Egypt poll over climate of fear
THE nephew of Anwar Sadat, the assassinated Egyptian president, has decided not to run in this year’s presidential election, saying a climate of fear and intimidation surrounds the vote in Egypt.
Mohamed Anwar Sadat, whose uncle was killed in 1981, was widely expected to challenge Abdel Fattah al-sisi, the incumbent president, in the March elections.
But Mr Sadat announced yesterday that he would not go ahead with a campaign, suggesting he feared for the safety of his supporters if he tried to challenge Mr Sisi.
“People who volunteered to collect votes of confidence were scared away,” Mr Sadat said. “I‘m scared for the young men and women and don’t want to expose them to this, because we won’t be able to do anything for them.”
Mr Sadat is the latest high-profile figure to be deterred from throwing his hat into the ring. Last week, Ahmed Shafik, a former prime minister who was seen as a potentially serious challenger to Mr Sisi bowed out.
Mr Shafik’s announcement came after a bizarre episode in which he was met by Egyptian security men at Cairo airport and briefly disappeared following his return from exile in the UAE.
Prosecutors and the intelligence services are widely seen to be trying to clear the field for Mr Sisi, who has not formally announced that he is running for re-election.
Khaled Ali, a 45-year-old human rights lawyer, was charged with public indecency soon after announcing he was planning to run in the elections. He is so far staying in the race but will be disqualified if he is convicted.
Sami Anan, a former military chief of staff, also announced this week that he planned to run. He is well known in Egypt and represents the most formidable challenge to the president.
The deadline for candidates to declare for the election is Jan 29. Wouldbe candidates must obtain the backing of at least 20 members of parliament or be supported by at least 25,000 eligible voters in at least 15 governorates.