Skip to main content

Egypt 2018 presidential elections: Background to third polls since 2011 Revolution 19 March 2018. Egypt. In a week’s time, Egyptians will head to the polls to vote for the president of their country in a race pitting the incumbent president Abdel Fattah el Sisi against the head of the El Ghad party, Moussa Mostafa Moussa. The Egyptians in the diaspora, numbering over nine million, have already cast their votes at different embassies and consulate offices of the country. The three day voting process (16 – 18 March), monitored by the National Elections Authority (NEA) in Cairo was largely incident free. Egyptians at home will vote from March 26 to March 28, and the winner will be declared on April 2. The high voter turnout declared by NEAfor the diaspora vote has been hailed by Moussa as a strong message delivered by Egyptians to the world and ‘Egypt’s enemies’. Both Moussa and Sisi have been urging Egyptians to vote, arguing that a high voter turnout would give the victor a strong mandate. The high voter turnout is critical for president Sisi who is widely expected to win this election that has been criticised for want of credible competitors. Several strong contenders who had declared their presidential aspirations, including a former army chief of staff and a former prime minister, withdrew their bids citing intimidation from the state and bias from election authorities. Lieutenant General Sami Anan, a former military boss, was detained by the army and forced to withdraw his bids on the grounds that he was still a serving officer. Another aspirant, Colonel Ahmed Konsowa, was similarly detained and found guilty of ‘expressing political opinions as a serving military officer’. On 29 January, the deadline for submitting presidential bids to the NEA, Moussa declared that he would challenge Sisi in the presidential election. Moussa’s declaration came as a surprise because he is a known supporter of Sisi and in 2017, he launched a campaign to mobilise support for a second term for President Sisi. Moussa’s candidacy and credibility has consequently been questioned, with critics saying he was compelled to run for presidency to lend the election a semblance of democratic competitiveness. Indeed, many opposition politicians have called upon Egyptians to boycott the elections that they describe as a ‘masquerade’. Led by Hamdeen Sabbahi, a former presidential candidate in 2012 and 2014, eight opposition political parties and 150 personalities launched a ‘Stay at Home’ campaign on January 28, 2018. Sabbahi lost to Sisi in the 2014 presidential elections, which the latter contested one year after leading the coup that ousted the democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi. Morsi, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, had won the elections in 2012 elections held after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that overthrew president long serving president Hosni Mubarak. This year’s election will be the third since the 2011 events, but many analysts argue that the repression under the current president including the manner in which potential aspirants were intimidated out of the race could take the country right back to the pre 2011 politics that sparked the revolution.

Egypt 2018 presidential elections: Background to third polls since 2011 Revolution

19 March 2018.

Egypt.

In a week’s time, Egyptians will head to the polls to vote for the president of their country in a race pitting the incumbent president Abdel Fattah el Sisi against the head of the El Ghad party, Moussa Mostafa Moussa.

The Egyptians in the diaspora, numbering over nine million, have already cast their votes at different embassies and consulate offices of the country. The three day voting process (16 – 18 March), monitored by the National Elections Authority (NEA) in Cairo was largely incident free.

Egyptians at home will vote from March 26 to March 28, and the winner will be declared on April 2.

The high voter turnout declared by NEAfor the diaspora vote has been hailed by Moussa as a strong message delivered by Egyptians to the world and ‘Egypt’s enemies’.

Both Moussa and Sisi have been urging Egyptians to vote, arguing that a high voter turnout would give the victor a strong mandate.

The high voter turnout is critical for president Sisi who is widely expected to win this election that has been criticised for want of credible competitors.

Several strong contenders who had declared their presidential aspirations, including a former army chief of staff and a former prime minister, withdrew their bids citing intimidation from the state and bias from election authorities.

Lieutenant General Sami Anan, a former military boss, was detained by the army and forced to withdraw his bids on the grounds that he was still a serving officer.

Another aspirant, Colonel Ahmed Konsowa, was similarly detained and found guilty of ‘expressing political opinions as a serving military officer’.

On 29 January, the deadline for submitting presidential bids to the NEA, Moussa declared that he would challenge Sisi in the presidential election.

Moussa’s declaration came as a surprise because he is a known supporter of Sisi and in 2017, he launched a campaign to mobilise support for a second term for President Sisi.

Moussa’s candidacy and credibility has consequently been questioned, with critics saying he was compelled to run for presidency to lend the election a semblance of democratic competitiveness.

Indeed, many opposition politicians have called upon Egyptians to boycott the elections that they describe as a ‘masquerade’.

Led by Hamdeen Sabbahi, a former presidential candidate in 2012 and 2014, eight opposition political parties and 150 personalities launched a ‘Stay at Home’ campaign on January 28, 2018.

Sabbahi lost to Sisi in the 2014 presidential elections, which the latter contested one year after leading the coup that ousted the democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi.

Morsi, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, had won the elections in 2012 elections held after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that overthrew president long serving president Hosni Mubarak.

This year’s election will be the third since the 2011 events, but many analysts argue that the repression under the current president including the manner in which potential aspirants were intimidated out of the race could take the country right back to the pre 2011 politics that sparked the revolution.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

We Bring You Brief Series of Sanctions Against Uganda Government Officials.

📸: Gen Abel Kandiho. On 9-December-2021, USA slapped sanctions against the then CMI Commander Gen Abel Kandiho. 📸: Gen Kale Kayihura. On 9-December-2022, UK slapped sanctions against former Police Boss Gen Kale Kayihura. 📸: Commissioner General of Prisons, Johnson Byabashaija. Again on this 4-December-2023, the same USA has slapped sanctions against Uganda Prisons Commander Johnson Byabashaija over alleged torture and human rights abuses in Prisons across Uganda. We ask, has USA and UK made December as an LCM to slap sanctions against high ranking government officials in Uganda even when the sanctions just remain on paper without deeper investigations to ascertain logical conclusions or remedy to that effect ?. #iip_updates  #Information_is_Power  #we_inform_the_uninformed

How to Host a Website for Free From Your PC or Laptop.

Why pay for a web hosting service when your old computer can do the same thing? Learn how to self-host your site. If you're planning to launch a website but don't want to pay recurring monthly or annual hosting fees, you can use any old laptop or desktop PC to host a website for free. It's a great way to utilize your old system instead of throwing it away. In this guide, we will install and set up services on our 10-year-old laptop to host a WordPress, Joomla, or custom HTML or PHP-based website with a free SSL certificate. MAKEUSEOF VIDEO OF THE DAY Things You Will Need to Host a Website Following are the pre-requisites to host a website for free from home with just your computer: An old laptop or PC running Ubuntu Server. A registered domain name for your website Ethernet cable to connect the laptop or PC to router for reliable and fast connection Step 1: Update and Upgrade the Packages After  installing Ubuntu Server on your computer , execute the following c

WHERE IS MINISTER OF SEX SIMON LOKODO?. (He deserves a battle of soda from me! Ministe`r esalanga mabee. He is quick to run after Mrs Dr Stella Nyanzi and other Opposition elements. Government aza aza edo zuu vaa kpere bua). Anyway, below is the article! POLICE OFFICER AKOL ESTHER CHARGED OF BEING A PUBLIC NUISANCE Naughty Officer Officer who embarrassed police after leaking nude photo charged 13.03.2018 She serves in the 'Very Important Persons Protection Unit'  Akol Esther  (Courtesy) A female police officer whose nude photo surfaced on social media has been charged of being a public nuisance. Akol Esther serves in the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU) of the police force. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire says Akol Esther might be demoted or expelled from the police force if found guilty of circulating nude photos. Police court is yet to announce date when Akol Esther is expected to appear for a hearing. This comes at a time when Pornography Control Committee is taking tough measures against persons circulating pornography content. The committee warned and promised to arrest persons who will circulate pornographic content.

POLICE OFFICER AKOL ESTHER CHARGED OF BEING A PUBLIC NUISANCE Naughty Officer Officer who embarrassed police after leaking nude photo charged 13.03.2018 She serves in the 'Very Important Persons Protection Unit' Akol Esther  (Courtesy) A female police officer whose nude photo surfaced on social media has been charged of being a public nuisance. Akol Esther serves in the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU) of the police force. Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire says  Akol Esther might be demoted or expelled from the police force if found guilty of circulating nude photos . Police court is yet to announce date when Akol Esther is expected to appear for a hearing. This comes at a time when Pornography Control Committee is taking tough measures against persons circulating pornography content. The committee warned and promised to arrest persons who will circulate pornographic content.