INTERVIEW - Al-Sisi’s Potential Rival Says There is a "Historic Opportunity" to Win Egypt’s Presidential Elections
(AWP) - A potential rival to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his belief that there is
what he described as a "historic opportunity" to win the country’s presidential elections scheduled for next year.
The leader of the Wafd Party, Abdel Sanad Yamama, who announced his intention to run against al-Sisi, the former defense minister who has been President of Egypt for nine years, spoke to AWP in an exclusive interview at his party’s headquarters in Giza governorate on Sunday evening.
Yamama, whose candidacy came as a surprise to many in Egypt, pointed out that running for election "is the natural thing to do from a political perspective, but also from a constitutional point of view".
He said, "What prompted me to run for the presidential elections this year is, of course, my duty and commitment as the head of the largest party in Egypt, even if it is sitting on the opposition seat. It is imperative for me to come forward to participate in the most important event in political life, which is the presidential elections."
"From my following and monitoring of what is currently happening in the political scene, we find that there is a historic opportunity. A historic opportunity because first, we have not encountered obstacles from the state or the current political system. This is a fact. Rather, were rather welcomed. Then we find that the political and economic situation necessitates participation because the country is now in an economic crisis and in many crises, and there will be no solution except with the emergence of new programmes and new leaders in order to save our country,” he added.
Yamama announced his intention to run for presidency last June, confirming during a press conference at the party’s headquarters last week, that all party bodies agreed on choosing him as Wafd’s candidate for the presidential elections.
While al-Sisi is yet to officially announce his intention to run for another term, many parties, including the Nation’s Future Party, which holds the parliamentary majority, announced their support for him in the upcoming vote.
The Civil Democratic Movement, which is Egypt’s largest opposition bloc and includes 12 political parties, is yet to agree on endorsing a specific candidate, despite the announcement of two of its leaders, the head of the Conservative Party, Akmal Kortam, and the former parliamentarian, Ahmed Tantawi, to run for the upcoming elections.
"We did not make the decision to enter the elections in order to have a mere presence in the political street [scene]. We did not make this decision to be the second party or the president's runner-up," Yamama said.
"We trust that fair elections will be held. As for the idea of guarantees, yes, there are guarantees," he continued.
He referred to his programme as "starting with the current miserable economic and educational situation".
"What drives us now is saving the country, saving the economy, saving education. We are lagging behind nations in terms of education... we are very backwards in education. I have been a university professor for more than 33 years... and I am certain that the level of education 50 years ago was better than the level of education in Egypt now," Yamama said.
In addition to the candidates who already announced their intention to run for the presidency, Yamama expects more hopefuls to come forward once the door for candidacy is officially opened.
Last week, Egypt’s National Election Authority announced launching the first steps in preparations for the presidential elections by reviewing the legal deadlines for holding the elections, revising and updating the voter database, providing logistical preparations, and inspecting the headquarters of the polling stations.
According to Article 208 of the Egyptian constitution, the National Election Authority is solely responsible for managing referendums and presidential, parliamentary and local elections. This responsibility includes preparing and updating the voter database, proposing constituency divisions, determining the guidelines and implementing the rules for campaigning, financing and electoral spending, and facilitating voting procedures for Egyptians living abroad and other related procedures, up to the declaration of the results.