Presidential candidate denies 'insulting' Sisi, offers platform to gov't

CAIRO – 18 February 2018: Presidential candidate Moussa Mostafa Moussa stressed on Sunday that although President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi is his competitor in the election, he would not issue a statement to degrade or insult him as he respects the incumbent president.

Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper published an article February 15 entitled “Moussa Mostafa: my competition with Sisi is real, I keep position for him upon arrival to power,” but Moussa described it as an attempt to drive wedges between him and Sisi and to make propaganda for the newspaper.

He added that it is known how much he greatly respects to Sisi, confirming that he cannot issue any statements that insults or shames the current president, who has risked his life since the June 30 Revolution.

He stated that everyone should be aware that the two candidates in the election express their solidarity with Egyptians in combating Egypt’s enemies, stressing that it is necessary to face this risk threatening Egypt.

In this regard, he called on Egyptian journalism to preserve its transparency and refute any method that undermines any respectful figures.

Moussa declared that his electoral campaign program focuses on running the suspended factories and closing the gap between salaries and prices, adding that development in Upper Egypt is the priority of his program. He praised the current government, but accused them of "sluggishness." He said he does not mind them taking his electoral platform to "benefit from it."

Consequently, Moussa’s electoral campaign spokesperson Adel Esmat declared on February 14 in a statement that the electoral program of Moussa aims to support national capitalism.

Moussa's national capitalism campaign is based on stock offerings, forming partnerships between public and private sectors and expanding the youth’s ownership.

He asserted that the electoral program, prepared by experts and specified committees of Al-Ghad Party, will propose the key ideas and new visions that would benefit all citizens and achieve a public interest to conclude the transitional stage of the June 30 Revolution.

Furthermore, his program will be topped by continuing Egypt’s comprehensive development, started by Sisi to establish major projects, and providing job opportunities in Upper Egypt through investment projects.

It includes a training program tailored for youth to increase local production and exports by reopening suspended factories. The program also plans to form an agreement with banks and demand international agricultural companies to help reap the benefits of agricultural lands.

The training program will be given by international experts to youth and laborers, benefitting from their experiences to increase exports and be able to compete in the international markets.

The program will push the foreign companies to employ Egyptian youth who will be part-owners of the projects and 25 percent of production should be exported.

Voting in the 2018 presidential election in Egypt will commence on March 26, as announced by the National Electoral Authority (NEA) on January 8. Sixty million eligible voters will cast their ballots in the election between March 26 and 28 in Egypt, while expatriates will vote between March 16 and 18.

Sisi officially announced his candidacy for the 2018 presidential election on January 19.

President Sisi took office in 2014 after protesters toppled the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated ex-President Mohamed Morsi.