Mapping presidential rallies in Egypt… Who supports whom?

CAIRO - 3 March 2018: Egyptian streets have seen rallies overwhelmingly supporting current President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term. To analyse the expected voting patterns, Egypt Today maps out presidential rallies in Egypt to see who supports whom.

Minya

Future of a Nation party has so far held two rallies in support of Sisi for a second term.

The first rally was held on February 26, in the presence of Ambassador Mahmoud Karem, General Coordinator of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi 2018 presidential election campaign, MP Mohamed El-Sewedy, Chairman of the Egyptian Support Coalition and all executive and popular leaders.

The second rally was attended by a number of security and civil figures, as well as huge masses from Minya governorate. The conference, entitled “A Day in the Love of Egypt”, was held at the Youth Club in Minya, in the presence of Ashraf Rashad, party leader and MP Atef Nasser, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee.

During the rally, Rashad said that God has watched out for the peace and security of Egypt, adding that Sisi was able to prove that Egyptian people are capable of doing anything. Sisi, expressed Rashad, managed to overcome the conspiracies woven against him.

Nour Hattah, Secretary of the Party in Minya, said that “those who wish Egypt the worst want to us to lose confidence in the president, but we send the message that we stand behind Sisi and we will never lose confidence in him. Together, we can push Egypt forwards.”

The people of Minya have spoken: they support Sisi for a second term.


Rally in Beheira in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Giza

Numerous Members of Parliament and the executive and popular leaders in the Giza governorate participated in a rally organized by Major General Saad al-Gamal under the umbrella of the Egypt Support Coalition in support of Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections.

Attending deputies included MP Mohammed al-Husseini, the deputy of the Local Administration Committee and MP Mohammed Salah Abu Hamaila, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of the Republican People's Party, as well as MP Mahmoud al-Hefni, MP Mohamed Ismail, MP Qassem Farag, MP Abdel Wahab Khalil, MP Alaa Nagy, MP Ahmed Gamal Farouk and MP Gamal Ismail.


Rally in Giza in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Similarly, the National Council of Arab and Egyptian Tribes held a mass rally on March 3, at the Headquarters of the village of Awlad Suliman in Giza, Mansourieh, Abu Rawash.

The rally was held in the presence of a number of public figures and senior families and tribes at the level of the Republic of Egypt, in addition to political and popular leaders, as well as a number of members of the House of Representatives in Giza in support of the nomination of Sisi for a second term. The rally also called on the Egyptian people to participate in the elections, highlighting its vital role in upholding free democracy in Egypt.

Another mass rally was organized by MP Ehab al-Khouli, Member of the House of Representatives, on March 3 in Imbaba to support Sisi for a second term. The rally saw a musical troupe that played Egyptian-style songs; a military singing group was also present.


Rally in Giza in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Monufia

The Future of the Nation party organized, in coordination with the campaign “We are all for you for Egypt”, a mass rally in the city of the martyrs in support of President Sisi in the 2018 presidential election.

Representatives from the House of Representatives, including Ibrahim Khalif, Fakhri Tayel, Abdul Hamid Sheikh, Dr. Abdul Nasser Farahat and a large number of leaders attended the conference. Additionally, citizens attended the event.

Mustafa Bassiouni, Secretary of Future Party of Monufia, stressed that these conferences aim to illustrate the love that the people of Monufia have for President Sisi, as well as to raise awareness on Sisi’s accomplishments.


Women in a rally in Monufia in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today


A rally in Monufia in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today


A rally in Monufia in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Cairo

Multiple rallies have been carried out in Cairo in support of President Sisi. The great accomplishments of the president during his first term has led many to realize that he is the right person needed to lead Egypt during the next four years.

During one of the most recent rallies in support of Sisi for second term, MP Mohammed Maher, Head of the Association for Egypt in Cairo and the general coordinator of the ‘Campaign for All Egypt’, said that supporting Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections is a duty for all Egyptians. Maher also spoke about the difficult circumstances that have been woven for Egypt from all directions, stressing that the campaign will organize mass rallies to support Sisi after seeing the great accomplishments that he was able to achieve during his time as president.

Maher said in a statement on Friday that the first four years of Sisi's rule saw many national projects in all fields that have put Egypt back on the development trajectory after a few difficult years. These projects include: the Dabaa nuclear project, the administrative capital and the new Suez Canal. Maher said that many more projects are expected in Sisi’s second term as president.

Another rally was held by MP Esam Farouk, a member of the House of Representatives and a member of the parliamentary Human Rights Committee, organized a mass rally too in Heliopolis. The rally was attended by a number of parliamentarians, public figures and famous footballers, artists and senior families.

Farouk explained that he is organizing this rally because he has a national duty to support Sisi in the upcoming elections, as the president is the one who needs to complete the achievements that he has started during his first term.


Rally in Imbaba to support President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Helwan

The Future of the Nation party will hold a mass rally on March 4 in Cairo to support President Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections.

The conference will be held in Helwan district in the presence of Ashraf Rashad, head of the party, and a number of future leaders of the homeland and parliamentarians, in addition to the leaders of the party secretariat in Cairo.

At a press conference a few weeks ago, the party announced its support for Sisi in the 2018 presidential elections.


Rally in Imbaba to support President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Qalyubia

The Free Egyptians Party in Qalyubia organized a public conference at the headquarters of the party to show their support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as president for a second term.

This comes within the framework of the movements of the party headed by Dr. Essam Khalil, in all governorates, to support President Sisi. The party plans to carry out conferences and street campaigns to educate citizens about national projects implemented during Sisi’s first term and their effects on the Egyptian state.

The conference was attended by Atef Al-Nemaki, Secretary of the Party in Qalyubia, a number of leaders of the Free Egyptians Party and citizens.



The ‘We are All Together for Egypt’ campaign also organized a mass rally in Shebin El-Qanater in Qalyubia governorate on Friday to support President Sisi, in the presence of Mostafa El-Kamar, Samir Sobhy Abousameh, Salah-Allah, Abdelaziz Sfati, Solaf Darwish, Mohamed El Fayoumi, Sheikh Safwat Abu al-Saud as deputy of the Awqaf, Bishop Antrus as deputy for the church and Dr. Ashraf Fatah al-Bab, the general coordinator of the campaign in Qalyubia governorate.


Rally in Imbaba to support President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Beheira

The Noor Party in Beheira organized a rally to support President Sisi in the 2018 presidential elections at the Damanhour Cultural Complex.

The conference was attended by Dr. Younis Makhkoun, Chairman of the Noor Party, Mohamed Salah Khalifa, member of the House of Representatives, the official spokesman of the party, Salafist leader Abdel Moneim Al-Shahat, Islam Maghrabi, Secretary of Al Noor Party in Beheira, Alaa Amer, the former and Dr. Walid Abdel-Jawad leading party, in addition to a number of members of the House of Representatives in Beheira and a large number of Salafist advocates.


Rally in Beheira in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today


Rally in Beheira in support of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi for a second term - Egypt Today

Egyptian workers’ union held a conference on Sunday to announce supporting President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second presidential term, asserting that this decision came out of their love for Egypt.


Egyptian workers union held a conference on Sunday to announce supporting President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second presidential term, asserting that this decision came out of their love for Egypt.

Said al-Naqib, vice president of the union, hailed the "Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018” that launched to purge the country of terrorism, adding that the participation of the armed forces in the development process reflects their loyalty to Egypt.


Egyptian workers union held a conference on Sunday to announce supporting President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second presidential term, asserting that this decision came out of their love for Egypt

Naqib asserted at the conference that some political terms have to be redefined to put an end to the infamous channels that strive to distort the image of Egypt.


Egyptian workers union held a conference on Sunday to announce supporting President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to run for a second presidential term, asserting that this decision came out of their love for Egypt

Egypt’s 2018 presidential election campaigning has officially started on Saturday, according to the National Election Authority (NEA) timeline.

The election campaigning will last for 28 days, and will conclude 24 hours before eligible Egyptian voters cast their ballots to choose between only two candidates; incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Al-Ghad party Chairperson Moussa Mostafa Moussa.

Banners and signs that show support for President Sisi were set in the streets of the capital, particularly downtown. The NEA has set a cap of LE 20 million ($1.1 million) for the election campaigning.

Moussa had previously announced that the party’s members coordinate efforts with the Egyptian Council of Arab Tribes to finalize the electoral program.

Sisi has chosen a star as his symbol in the upcoming presidential election, while Moussa chose a plane as his symbol.

Although no rallies have been held in support of Moussa, he had previously mentioned groups that support him.

In press remarks, Moussa said that the Egyptian Council of Arab Tribes announced its support for him in the upcoming election, confirming that it is one of the most important political blocs and includes more than 40 million citizens.



For his part, Former MP Ragab Hilal Hamida, the current secretary of the Egyptian Council of Arab Tribes, said that the council has declared its support for the candidate, including all the tribal leaders in the council.


FILE: Former MP Ragab Hemida announced the support of the Egyptian Council of Arab tribes, where he served as its General secretary to Al-Ghad's Mousa Moustafa in the March vote

The Farmers’ Union previously announced its support for President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi; however, Moussa said in statements that the union would support him and that they would open their headquarters for his hustings.

In the same context, Wagih Abu Hagar, member of the secretary general of Ghad Party and the follow-up secretary of the Egyptian Council of Arab and Egyptian Tribes, said that all the tribes included in the council announced their support for Moussa Mustafa Moussa, head of the Ghad party.

Abu Hagar added that the tribal council includes about 86 tribes. He added that the council’s members are approximately 2,650,000.

The incumbent President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and the President of the political party, Al-Ghad (Tomorrow), Moussa Moustafa are the only two candidates who are found eligible by the authority to contest in the election.

On January 26, two days after President Sisi submitted his candidacy papers to the National Election Authority, President of al-Wafd Party announced his intention to run in the 2018 presidential election before the party came out of its unanimous support to President Sisi.

Voting in the 2018 presidential election in Egypt will commence on March 26, as announced by the National Electoral Authority (NEA) on January 8. Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election between March 26 and 28 in Egypt, while expatriates will vote between March 16 and 18.

Sisi officially announced on January 19 his candidacy in the 2018 presidential election, scheduled between March 26 and 28.

He took office in 2014 after protesters toppled the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated ex-president Mohamed Morsi.