Reuters: Al-Sisi…a totalitarian leader fond of building bridges, is heading to win a third term

Reuters published a report entitled “Al-Sisi…a totalitarian leader fond of building bridges heading to win a third term,” where it stated that the Egyptian president is being criticized by some who described him as a “tyrant” who crushed what remained of the opposition after a democratic experiment that lasted for a short period, while he won… Supporters praise the military-led security enhancement and infrastructure development.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army commander, is expected to obtain a third presidential term in elections that begin on December 10, dominated by the war in the neighboring Gaza Strip and the faltering economy, and come 10 years after the overthrow of Egypt’s first democratically elected president.

Activists say tens of thousands were imprisoned in the ensuing crackdown, before Sisi turned his attention to mega projects and development plans run by the state and the military.

The main project is the new administrative capital, which costs $58 billion, located in the desert east of Cairo, a place that Sisi said represents the birth of a new republic.

He said: “We are not leaving Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, or the (other) governorates behind us. We move in all the old and the new together.”

For his critics, the former director of military intelligence pushed Egypt to a deeper level of tyranny than the era of the late president, Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted by a popular uprising in 2011, after ruling the country for 30 years under a state of emergency.

Human rights groups say Sisi has muzzled political opponents, activists and the media, while security forces have carried out arbitrary arrests and torture with impunity.

The judiciary has issued death sentences to hundreds of supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood since Sisi removed the group’s leader, Mohamed Morsi, who was chosen as president in free elections, in 2012, after massive protests against his rule.

Al-Sisi says that there are no political prisoners in Egypt, that stability and security are of the utmost importance, and that the state is striving to provide social rights to citizens, such as housing and jobs.

The campaign against the Brotherhood

In 2013, when Sisi was commander of the armed forces and effectively ruling the country, hundreds were killed during security forces’ dispersal of a pro-Morsi sit-in in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. Egyptian officials said some of the protesters were armed.

After Morsi was removed, the leaders of the Brotherhood were arrested, and Sisi suppressed the movement, which he describes as a terrorist group.

The Muslim Brotherhood denies any connection to violence and says it sought power through democratic means. The group was founded a century ago and is one of the most influential Islamic organizations in the world, combining religious teachings with political activism and social welfare programs.

In fact, Rabaa Square no longer exists, as one of the many new bridges built during Sisi’s era passes directly through the area.

Tahrir Square, the cradle of the 2011 uprising in central Cairo, has also witnessed a modernization process that critics believe aims to erase the memory of the pro-democracy revolution.

Before the 2018 elections, Sisi warned that anyone who threatened Egypt’s stability would be dealt with with “brute force.”
“I will die before anyone plays with its security,” he said, adding that the 2011 revolution, when the army stood neutral while Mubarak was forced to step down, will not be repeated.

Mohamed El-Beltagy, a leader in the Muslim Brotherhood, recounted his meeting with Sisi one night in Tahrir Square in 2011, and said that Sisi introduced himself with these words: “I am Major General Abdel Fattah. Intelligence.”

According to El-Beltagy, Sisi warned him that blood would be shed unless he convinced those with him to retreat, and called on him to end the sit-in and the revolution and return to their homes, according to Reuters.

Huge projects

As his grip on the country tightened after Morsi’s ouster, Sisi introduced reforms with support from the International Monetary Fund that won praise from many economists.

Sisi aims to develop the dilapidated infrastructure to stimulate the economy and create job opportunities after decades of rapid population growth and unplanned construction.

Among the huge construction projects supported by the state is the expansion of the Suez Canal, agricultural projects, and a large network of roads and bridges extending from eastern Cairo, which Sisi constantly inspects.

But some economists point to the continued lack of decent job opportunities for young people, a growing debt burden and the military’s tightening grip on key economic assets.

The Egyptian President says that population growth in Egypt is a source of concern to him. Sisi said to one of the women in 2022, “You have six and you can’t. I have 100 million left.” Sisi is the latest in a series of Egyptian presidents who belong to the army.

Sisi sought to correct the course when he took office, in 2014, by holding meetings with the Council of Ministers at 7 a.m. and participating in a bicycle race on his first weekend as president. The message was clear. “The new president will get things done,” Reuters said.

Sisi does not trust anything that conflicts with the military’s strict outlook due to his military background. Hisham Qassem, a former publisher and political activist who was imprisoned this year, said that Sisi undermined the role of the media, which was playing an influential role in Egypt, and used the army to keep the private sector under control.

Qassem said that the way Sisi returned the army to power shows real ingenuity.

Proximity to the poor?

Residents of the old district of Cairo, where Sisi was born, on 19 1954, said that he had exceptional discipline when he was a young boy. While those his age were playing football or smoking, Sisi and his friends were lifting weights made of stones and metal pipes.

Neighbors and relatives said that he comes from a close-knit, religious family and memorizes the Qur’an.

He lived in a small apartment on the roof of an old building owned by his large family. Although the family was relatively well-off, Sisi sought to show his connection to the hardship of ordinary Egyptians.

Morsi appointed Al-Sisi as Army Commander and Minister of Defense in August 2012, believing that the army would allow the Muslim Brotherhood to implement its list of priorities if it guaranteed the army the protection of its established privileges.

After the Brotherhood’s mistakes in power and crowds gathering to demand Morsi’s resignation, Al-Sisi appeared on television, on July 3, 2013, to announce the end of President Morsi’s rule, and to promise to hold elections, which Al-Sisi won by an overwhelming majority, the following year.

Al-Sisi presented himself as a simple character because he lacked the charisma and oratorical skills enjoyed by former presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and Anwar Sadat, according to Reuters.

At public events, he appears surrounded by ministers and army commanders, and makes long, impromptu statements in colloquial language while sitting on his chair, demanding that officials fulfill commitments within deadlines.

Abroad, Sisi established new relations in Africa and rapprochement with China and Russia, as well as with the Gulf states, which pumped billions of dollars into Egypt to mitigate economic shocks, before adopting a more cautious approach.

Relations with the United States, the main source of military aid, have fluctuated as politics in Washington have fluctuated.

Former US President Donald Trump was quoted as describing Sisi as “my favorite dictator.” The administration of his successor, Joe Biden, criticized Sisi’s human rights record before enhancing cooperation with him in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.