President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn in as President of Egypt for a third presidential term of six years.
On 2 April 2024, the President took oath before Parliament in its new headquarters at Egypt’s New Administrative Capital (NAC), some 40km northeast Cairo.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Hanafy al-Gebaly commenced the parliamentary session, which also marked the official opening of the new parliament headquarters at the NAC. All members of the House of Representatives were in attendance, as were senior State officials, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Head of the General Intelligence Service (GIS) Abbas Kamel, and Speaker of the Senate Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razek. Also present were the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb; and Pope Tawadros II, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
The oath
The President took oath declaring: “I swear by Allah Almighty to faithfully uphold the republican system, respect the Constitution and the law, fully uphold the interests of the people, and safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of the nation.”
President Sisi had won his third term, which is also his last and which starts 3 April 2024, with 89.6 per cent of the vote in the presidential election held in December 2023, at 66.8 per cent voter turnout.
People’s Square
The swearing-in ceremony was held to an air show of military aircraft jetting red, white, and black arrows in the colours of the Egyptian flag while attendees waved Egyptian flags at the People’s Square in the NAC, where the new Parliament building is located. Military bands played tunes of patriotic songs, and a cannon salute was fired to celebrate the event.
President Sisi had arrived at the People’s Square at noon; he reviewed the honour guard as the national anthem played. He placed a wreath of flowers on the memorial monument which boasts pharaonic style columns and ornamentation, and signed the guestbook.
The People’s Square is located to the right of the executive authority headquarters (the Governmental District) and left of the legislative authority (the House of Representatives and the Senate), and near the Presidential Palace. It features a 201.9m- high flagpole in its centre, and the memorial monument at its corner opposite the Presidential Palace.
“The Great Egyptian People”
Following his taking oath, the President gave a speech which he addressed to “the great people of Egypt… who possess the final word and decision, who embody honour, esteem, and perseverance.. I thank you for renewing your confidence in me to lead our great nation through a new presidential term.”
President Sisi reaffirmed his continued commitment to building the nation, working to fulfil the aspirations of a modern democratic State that masters science, scholarly work, and industry; urban development; agriculture; and the letters and the arts.
The President stressed his priorities since he first took office [in 2014]: “I pledged that Egypt’s national security and its people’s safety, also its development and progress, shall be my absolute priority above all else.
“Together, through working as one man towards that end, we saved our nation from the grip of extremist terrorism.
“The last few years have shown us that the way to nation-building is not strewn with flowers. Fateful instances such as terrorism on the domestic front, and international crises and wars on the global front, imposed on us concurrent challenges of severity almost unprecedented in our history.. we could never have confronted these challenges were it not for the legendary perseverance and patience of the great Egyptian people.”
Seven-point strategy
The President then proceeded to outline the challenges facing Egypt during his upcoming term. He drew a seven-point strategy of action that focused on domestic and foreign policies, economic reform, social protection, and urban development.
First: As far as foreign relations are concerned, President Sisi said, Egypt shall be giving priority to protecting and safeguarding its national security, and to cultivating parallel relations with all international players; the objective being to achieve peace, stability, and development within a new world the features of which are yet taking shape, and in which Egypt will play an indispensable role.
Second: As to the domestic front, the President pledged to continue an exhaustive national dialogue on Egypt’s political, economic, social, cultural, and other issues; and to implement the outcoming recommendations.
Third: The President stressed his commitment to economic reform basing on strategies that maximise Egypt’s economic resources and capabilities, and its resilience in the face of crises. He pledged sustainable and balanced development led by the private sector, focusing on agriculture, industry, communications and information technology, tourism, and others, with a view to attracting local and foreign investment, providing jobs, increasing exports, and maximising foreign currency revenue.
Fourth: The State, President Sisi said, shall adopt comprehensive institutional reforms to ensure financial discipline and achieve effective governance. It shall also work to turn Egypt into a regional hub for transport and transit trade, sustainable and renewable energy, green hydrogen and its derivatives, and an augmented economic role for the Suez Canal.
Fifth: Education and health came in among the strategic priorities, with the President pledging quality education and healthcare, in addition to working to complete Egypt’s universal health insurance programme which was launched in 2018.
Sixth: President Sisi also committed to supporting social security networks, and providing the finance necessary for the nationwide programme Takaful wa Karama (Solidarity and Dignity) that offers financial subsidy to the needy, and to complete the Hayat Karima (Decent Life) initiative which comprises the widest developmental work ever in Egypt’s most needy villages.
Seventh: to carry on with the urban development strategy of building new 4G towns, developing slums, and the “Home for every Egyptian” programme that primarily targets young and limited-income families.
What now?
Senate deputy speaker and constitutional expert Bahaaeddin Abu-Shoqa said that the President’s swearing-in and the start of his new term is likely to herald a reshuffle of provincial governors and also a cabinet reshuffle.
When Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi was first elected President in 2014, then for a second term in 2018, Egypt faced a host of security and economic challenges. Islamic State-affiliated militants in North Sinai had killed hundreds of soldiers, policemen, and civilians in the peninsula and it took a comprehensive military operation to restore stability to Sinai.
Egypt continues to face economic challenges, including high inflation rates that rose up to 40 per cent, and a severe shortage of dollars. New development projects launched during February and March 2024, however, brought in billions of much-needed dollars. The Central Bank of Egypt in early March floated the Egyptian Pound and raised interest rates, helping the country secure pledges of financial support including a USD8 billion loan from the IMF, 7.4 billion euros from the EU, and USD6 billion from the World Bank.
Watani International
2 April 2024
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