Artists Make Remarkable Impact in Egyptian Presidential Elections

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
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Artists Make Remarkable Impact in Egyptian Presidential Elections

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi speaks while meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at Al-Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Egyptian artists showed support to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the presidential elections that concluded on Tuesday night.

A large number of artists backed Sisi since he announced his plans to run for another term in early October. Among those are Karim Abdelaziz, Ahmed el-Sakka, Nelly Karim and Salah Abdullah. Others showed their support in short videos that were shared on his campaign’s Facebook page, including Yasser Galal, who played the role of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in “The Choice” series.

“Artists’ support of President Sisi and his reelection reflect the stance of the majority of the Egyptian people,” said Ehab Fahmy, vice president of the Syndicate of Acting Professions. He told “Asharq Al-Awsat” that his colleagues’ support of President Sisi stems from their observation of “the achievements he has accomplished and their will to see him continue.”

Egyptian artists have played a growing role in the political landscape since the January 25 uprising in 2011; their participation in the protest at the ministry of culture alongside intellects and academics on June 30, 2013, helped overthrow the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood; they have also had remarkable contributions in the different elections and referendums since then.

Many artists boasted their support of the president during the elections including Wafaa Amer, who confirmed that she voted to “the one who has loved Egypt and lifted it since 2010”, in reference to Sisi; other like Nadia al-Gendy, Nabila Ebeid and Leila Taher said explicitly that they voted for him.

In the recent elections, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi competed with Farid Zahran, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel Sanad Yamama, head of the Wafd party; and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican Peoples' Party.

Some of the artists who backed president Sisi urged people to vote, including Yousra, who said in a statement that she believes that “one vote can make a difference”, while Laila Elwi called on Egyptian citizens to vote for “the continuity of the path.”

Art critic Majida Khairallah said that artists’ support of president Sisi is a good thing. “They are citizens and have the right to participate in the different political events,” she told Asharq Al-Awsat, adding that “this political participation isn’t limited to Egyptian artists and has been seen among celebrities around the world.”

Egyptian artists are used to taking part in the political life through elections or by contributing to major political developments, like the donations Umm Kulthum made for the benefit of the Egyptian army after the war of 1967. Some were even involved directly in the political work, such as late Hamdi Ahmad, who was elected as a member of the parliament, and Yehia el-Fakharany, who was appointed in the Senate.

The artists’ participation in the elections saw some pitfalls. The cast of “Al Atawla” series, including Ahmed el-Sakka, Salah Abdullah and Bassem Samra had to vote at the Expats Committee in Alexandria because they were in the city to shoot some outdoor scenes.

Actress Lebleba committed a legal violation for voting twice; one at the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah and the other in Al Doqi district.

Ehab Fahmy highlighted that artists were keen to take part in the elections “because they are aware of the importance of this election and the critical circumstances in the region,” noting that he saw the same eagerness among the majority of the Egyptian people.

But Critic Majida Khairallah believes that the most important thing is “for artists to believe in their stance and not using it for personal gains.”



Injured Seals Get Care and Sanctuary at a New Center in the Netherlands 

A seal swims in a tank at the new seal sanctuary in Lauwersoog, northern Netherlands, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP)
A seal swims in a tank at the new seal sanctuary in Lauwersoog, northern Netherlands, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP)
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Injured Seals Get Care and Sanctuary at a New Center in the Netherlands 

A seal swims in a tank at the new seal sanctuary in Lauwersoog, northern Netherlands, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP)
A seal swims in a tank at the new seal sanctuary in Lauwersoog, northern Netherlands, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP)

Gliding gracefully through the waters at his new home, Witje pauses briefly to peer through a large window at the curious and admiring visitors.

The 4-month-old gray seal is a lucky survivor able to swim in one of nine new tanks at the World Heritage Center, or WEC, a recently opened seal rescue facility in Lauwersoog, in the north of the Netherlands.

He was brought in after being orphaned and was suffering from a swollen flipper and a damaged eye.

“On a yearly basis, we roughly treat about 200 seals,” Sander van Dijk, the curator of the center, told The Associated Press. In 2024, researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands counted around 24,000 seals across the Wadden Sea.

Most are pups who get separated from their mother, known as howlers for their plaintive wailing. Others are injured by floating debris or are struck by passing vessels.

“If we look at our own data over the past 15 years, we just see every year more seals that somehow get entangled in waste in the sea, mostly fishing nets,” Van Dijk said.

The WEC, which officially opened to the public Saturday, replaces the Pieterburen Seal Center, a rescue facility set up in 1971 to treat injured seals found in and around the nearby Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Witje’s tank is an upgrade from his previous quarters. He gets to swim in water directly from the sea, rather than tap water, in order to maintain a habitat as close as possible to the seals’ natural environment.

“They are adapted to living in seawater. It’s good for their fur. But also seawater, through its salt, has some properties that makes wounds heal faster,” Van Dijk said.

The WEC can treat around 70 seals at a time and has 12 intensive-care units for animals with serious injuries who are able to recover in special enclosures which offer a calm environment. They are prevented from swimming in order to rest and the space is cleaned frequently to prevent infections from waste.

The new building, which cost over 40 million euros ($45 million), with financing provided by local and regional governments as well as charitable organizations, tells more than just the story of the seas. It’s an educational space which teaches visitors about the Wadden Sea, the largest continuous system of intertidal flats in the world, extending along the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.

The new facility is significantly closer to the sea than the previous location. The tanks for the 10 seals currently residing at WEC look out over the water. Caregivers at the center are optimistic that Witje will soon recover enough to be released back into the waves.