The campaigning period for Egypt’s upcoming presidential elections is now well underway, with sparkling new, freshly manufactured Hamdeen Sabbahi and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi billboards popping up overnight and stamped with his symbol, a green star – the color of Islam, of military uniforms and of money – EGP 12 million spent on advertising, to be exact.
Doesn’t Sisi look so lonely up there? All by himself… gazing up and out into the distance of the capital’s dusty skyline, with that knowing smile… No, he doesn’t look lonely. He looks Stable, Secure, (pre-) Determined…
Last week’s televised interviews with the former Army chief (it was a remarkable lyrical performance on Sisi’s part) and his election rival Hamdeen Sabbahi saw a number of memorable pledges made by the presidential “hopefuls”.
Conveniently, Rais2014.net has been documenting Sabbahi’s and Sisi’s campaign promises pretty much “since they started talking” with the intention to follow up on them later.
In short, for accountability – an ingredient utterly and conspicuously missing from the country’s modern political history.
Will this time around be any different?
Here are 14 presidential promises to remember in 2014:
1. Sabbahi wants to regulate peaceful protests and release political prisoners.
2. Sisi wants to keep the protest law in place because those who are against it “seek to destroy Egypt”.
3. Sabbahi wants to give the Army more weapons and means but warns that it will lose popular support if it gets involved in politics.
4. Sisi says that if he’s elected, then there’s no need for the Army to rule Egypt.
5. Sabbahi wants to train policemen to avoid human rights violations.
6. Sisi wants to strengthen state institutions to react to human rights violations.
7. Sabbahi wants to take a holistic approach to fighting terrorism.
8. Sisi wants to eradicate terrorism in the entire region.
9. Sabbahi wants to redistribute resources.
10. Sisi wants to reclaim four million feddans because science.
11. Sabbahi wants to grow Egypt’s middle class.
12. Sisi wants to solve Egypt’s power crisis in three to six months by having “the state” buy energy efficient light bulbs and then distribute them door to door.
13. Sabbahi wants to convince the angry, revolutionary youth that they live in a just society.
14. Sisi wants Egyptians to feel that their quality of life has improved in two years.
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