Egyptians rally support for Sisi as he begins his second term

Egyptians have expressed confidence in President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as he was sworn in for his second four year term in office on Saturday.

In a large ceremony held in parliament, Sisi took the oath as president and says that he will “protect the republic, to respect the constitution and the law, to safeguard the people’s interests, to preserve the independence of the nation and the unity of lands.”

The ceremony was the first to take place in front of parliament since 2005, since the assembly had not been in session during the last four occasions.

Most Egyptians believe that Sisi is the right person to take the country forward. On the streets of Cairo, enthusiastic residents rallied support for Sisi’s second term.

“He announced excellent ideas for development, but he can’t implement them alone. He and others have done a good job, but we must still work with him for the good of the country. We the people have our duty too for our country,” said Mohamed, a Cairo resident.

“The country is developing and the people are feeling the improvements and what we want from him is more stability and better conditions,” said Ismael, another resident of the capital city.

In his keynote speech, the Egyptian president acknowledged the people’s patience and endurance during the last four, tough years, saying that the Egyptians have faced savage terrorism that wanted to destroy their country, have endured challenges and have persevered in spite of a heavy legacy of economic, social and political hardships.

The Egyptian president also outlined his vision for the next term. He pledged priority in the coming four years to health and education issues.

Sisi won his second term with 97 percent of the vote in Egypt’s 2018 presidential election.

Reuters