5 Egyptian Parties Announce Support for Sisi in Presidential Elections

Banners supporting Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections (Free Egyptians Party)
Banners supporting Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections (Free Egyptians Party)
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5 Egyptian Parties Announce Support for Sisi in Presidential Elections

Banners supporting Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections (Free Egyptians Party)
Banners supporting Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections (Free Egyptians Party)

The Conference and the Arab Nasserist parties announced their support for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections, bringing the number of political blocs backing his reelection to five.

Those also include, the Future of a Nation, which holds the majority in the parliament, the Free Egyptians and the Homeland Defenders.

The head of the National Elections Authority, Walid Hamza, said the candidacies for the presidential elections were likely to be opened soon, after the completion of the logistical preparations for the electoral process, and the establishment of international and local monitoring regulations.

The deputy head of the Conference Party, Dr. Magdi Morshed, said during televised statements on Friday that the party’s decision to support Sisi for a new presidential term was based on a “full conviction” of the importance of maintaining the political leadership’s endeavor “to build a new republic.”

The Nasserist Arab Democratic Party also announced its support for Sisi “to complete the march of achievements... despite the difficult global economic conditions.”

In addition to Sisi, four potential candidates are likely to run for the presidential race. Those include, former MP Ahmed Tantawi, president of the Independence Movement Ahmed Fadali, head of the Wafd party Abdel-Sanad Yamama, and the Republican People’s Party chief, Hazem Omar.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, MP Mostafa Bakry, pointed to a national consensus among the parties over Sisi’s reelection.

While Bakri confirmed that opening the door for candidacy “will take place within a few weeks,” he said that this step will be linked to “important measures,” including “judicial supervision of the elections, local and international oversight, as well as media coverage.”



Türkiye Criticizes Some NATO Countries’ Support for Kurdish Units in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Türkiye Criticizes Some NATO Countries’ Support for Kurdish Units in Syria

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with his Czech counterpart, Jan Lipavsky, in Ankara on Tuesday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Türkiye criticized the support provided by some of its allies in NATO to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“The countries we have problems with... are America, England, and a little bit with France,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in a televised interview on Monday.

He added: “The United States maintains its presence there, and we are putting this problem on the agenda at all levels... Türkiye is continuing the highest level of diplomacy possible” as “it can no longer live with such a reality.”

The foreign minister went on to say: “We carry more sensitivity in our fight against the PKK than you (the US and the UK) do in your fight against terrorism, just on the other side of our border. It is out of the question for us to engage in any negotiations here.”

On the other hand, Fidan considered that stopping the armed conflict between the Syrian army and the opposition is currently the main “achievement” of his country and Russia.

“The most important thing that we were able to achieve in Syria along with the Russians is that there is no war currently between the army and the opposition, and the Astana negotiations and others made that possible at the present time,” he stated.

He added that Damascus needs to “use this period of calm wisely, as an opportunity to return millions of Syrians who have fled abroad to rebuild their country and revive its economy.”

The minister revealed that he discussed this matter during his recent meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

“We are studying this matter. The return of refugees is important,” Fidan said, adding: “We want the Syrian government to exploit this period of calm, rationally... as an opportunity to solve constitutional problems and achieve peace with the opposition. But we do not see that Damascus is benefiting from this sufficiently.”