Egypt’s Presidential Elections 2018: The Search for a rival candidate is still on !!

Another episode of the wacky and interesting Egyptian presidential elections race 2018 which has proved that it is so interesting than the 2014 race after all !!

Previously as read on our blog, Egypt’s former top auditor Hisham Geneina is still in the Hospital. Sunday evening, the Prosecution decided to release him considering a victim. The prosecution also ordered the detention of the three men who attacked him 4 days pending investigations.

The statement in Arabic 

Those three men are currently accused now of several charges by the prosecution including thuggery, robbery, theft and possession of unlicensed light arms.
Moving to a very interesting development took place in Egypt related to the elections also Sunday evening.

A group of prominent politicians and political activists issued a statement calling for the cancellation of the Presidential elections 2018 because it lost its minimum legitimacy.

The statement issued on Sunday condemned “all the security practices by the current regime” to stop any fair competition in the Presidential elections recounting what happened to the presidential hopefuls starting with Ahmed Shafik to what happened to Sami Anan and Hisham Geneina.

They also demanded the suspension of the National Elections Authority “NEA” and dissolution of its board because it covered up the security and administrative interfere in the elections process from the very beginning.

The statement also called the Egyptian people to boycott the upcoming presidential elections in March and not to recognize its results not because there is no fair competition what so ever but also those policies currently adopted in the currently are paving the way for a constitutional amendment for endless presidential terms for one person.

“That policy already kill any opportunity to transfer power peacefully in Egypt,” The statement said adding it is calling the opposition forces to unite.
The statement is signed by former Presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abu El-Fotouh “Elections 2012”, former presidential hopeful Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat Jr, Hazem Hosni, Hisham Geneina and former presidential adviser for science Essam Heggy.
If you remember, the famous Egyptian space scientist Essam Heggy headed the presidential team initiative in summer 2016.

Dr. Hazem Hosni revealed that actually a group of youth made that statement and they needed prominent figures to support it as signatories.
That statement made the Pro-regime TV hosts go made like Amr Adeeb who printed the statement and kept screaming as usual on ON E TV channel.
I am so happy that some politicians like Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat and Abdel Moneim Abu El-Fotouh are no longer afraid to cooperate and issue such statement now.
It has been so long to see them united.

Searching for a rival candidate

The Presidential Elections race in Cairo turned in to a true a black comedy when the regime began to search for a rival to compete against El-Sisi to show the world that we are having free and fair elections aka democracy following the decision of Khaled Ali not to run last.
On the same day, Pro-journalists and TV hosts began wondering about how Al-Wafd Party should have a presidential candidate in the Presidential elections in a very comic way. Al-Wafd Party was suddenly brought up to the scene after the rejection of Hamdeen Sabbahi to run again in the presidential elections.

The regime tried to find a rival in none other than Al-Wafd Party and its leader El-Siyad El-Badawy.
But there are three problems or challenges that made it impossible for this to happen.
From 14 days ago, El-Siyad El-Badawy declared that his party endorsed Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for a second presidential term after the meeting of the once-liberal party’s high committee.

In November 2016, El-Siyad El-Badawy told Sada El-Bald that the party would not have a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections and that he personally supports El-Sisi
He also added that Al-Wafd Party learned its lesson very well after what happened in 2005 when Al-Wafd ex-leader Noaman Goma’a decided to run against Hosni Mubarak.
“If Al-Wafd has someone capable to compete with President Mubarak, we will nominate him for the presidency,” He said adding that the time that President Sisi does not have any competitor what so ever in the upcoming presidential elections.
“Any competitor will run, won't’ achieve the percentage of votes El-Sisi will have.” He added.

Al-Ahram Arabic Gate published on Friday a very interesting profile for El-Siyad El-Badawy describing him as the wise calm politician !!
Speaking of newspapers, I believe Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas had the best headline describing what was happening in Egypt politically briefly: “The search for a candidate to lose in front of El-Sisi”.

Back to El-Badawy who already can’t run for presidency according to the law because he got pending Jail sentences due to his checks without balance for years. Just as we are getting ready to have him as El-Sisi’s opponents with memes mocking him going rival, the Youth of El-Wafd Party and its board saved El-Siyad El-Badawy when the party’s general assembly voted against running in the Presidential race 2018.

The Youth of the party also held a small protest at the party H.Q refusing to be a part of that “Charade”

And so El-Sisi got no competitor officially and today is the last day for presenting the Presidential elections candidacy’s documents. The Pro-regime TV hosts are angry and sad.
Now on Sunday, we hear a couple of names as possible rivals for El-Sisi in March from small parties and they are even worse than El-Siyad El-Badawy !!