Sisi: People must vote for whomever they see most eligible

CAIRO – 19 January 2018: "I will not let the corrupt take the reins of the country," President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi said, calling on the Egyptian people to participate in the upcoming presidential election and give their votes to whomever they see most eligible.

During the second session of the Tale of a Homeland conference, President Sisi answered citizen’s questions and inquiries about his first four years in office during the session entitled “Ask the President”. He implied that he would probably run for a second term.

New Suez Canal:

“The then-ultimate goal of the national project of the new Suez Canal was to bring people together again and to revive their patriotism and resilience,” President Sisi said in response to a question about the magnitude of its significance and its economic impact.

“We were keen to have the project fully funded by Egyptians and to make Egyptian companies get in the grooves of giant projects,” Sisi added.

He further stated that the new Suez Canal has been developed to its full potential to enable it to receive the most advanced ships non-stop and that its current revenues increased by 5 percent, which is equivalent to $250 million.

Terrorism:

As for terrorism, President Sisi said that the Egyptian state has had a comprehensive strategy to combat terrorism on all the forefronts, including education and culture, and he said he could not inform people of everything on-going in this regard so as not to harm their morality.

“Egypt can never go to war with its sibling countries; the region has had enough of them,” Sisi added.

President Sisi also called on the government to step up efforts to crack down on drug trafficking. “There has been always a close relation of terrorism to drug trafficking. Terrorism can get its funding from drug trafficking.”

Education:

On education, Sisi stressed the significance of education for sustainable development, underscoring the role of the newly-established National Youth Academy to train youth with leadership skills so that they can take on leadership roles.

“I call on the young people to be well-educated and then to go and participate in the political life, particularly in the municipal elections,” President Sisi remarked, adding that the state took great steps to empower women.

Politics:

President Sisi stressed the importance of having a diverse political life, adding that human rights cannot only be reduced to politics and that they are a national concern and must be totally considered and promoted.

“The Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology is hostile to life and prosperity, and they give me no chance for any possible reconciliation,” Sisi added.

On refugees, President Sisi concluded by confirming that [we] do not have refugee camps; refugees are treated like nationals who have the same rights and duties, enjoy the same opportunity for freedom and rights.”

The "Tale of a Homeland" conference, where President Sisi reviewed the achievements made during his four-year presidential tenure, concluded on Friday evening.

The second day’s first session addressed the axis of Egypt’s foreign policy under the president’s first term and the efforts made by the government to eliminate terrorism and to re-build the state's institutions.

During the first day of the conference, President Sisi said he deemed his period as president as a “rescue mission,” and he tackled energy-related discussions and Egypt’s current economic challenges.

President Sisi took office in 2014 after protesters toppled Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated ex-President Mohamed Morsy in 2013. Yet, Sisi has not officially announced his presidential bid for his second term.