Egypt’s Al Nour party decides to support Sisi re-election bid
cairo — Egypt’s ultra-conservative Al Nour party has decided to support President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in his bid to be re-elected in March, the party said on Sunday.
Sisi, who has been in power since 2014, appears set to run unopposed after all other presidential hopefuls announced they would not take part in the election on March 26-28.
Nominations for candidates remain open until Monday.
Al Nour chief Yunes Makhion spoke at a news conference of his party’s policies on the economy, corruption, human rights and fighting terrorism, among others.
“The current president, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, is the most capable to carry out these heavy responsibilities, and to bring cooperation between all the state’s institutions of the armed forces, police, and parliament,” said Makhion.
This unity “would achieve stability, and steer the country away from many dangers”, he said.
Sisi was elected president a year after heading the 2013 military ouster of president Mohamed Mursi, who hailed from the Muslim Brotherhood, amid mass protests against his one-year rule.
At the time, Al Nour supported Sisi’s move.
This support has allowed Al Nour to survive a post-Mursi crackdown on hardliners while the Brotherhood was designated a terrorist group in 2013 and has seen thousands of its supporters detained. —