Celebrity videos in support of Sisi released ahead of election

CAIRO – 22 March 2018: A number of video clips of songs or celebrities lecturing viewers on the presidential election have been released in the week ahead of the March 26 poll, most of which explicitly support President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

On Thursday, a nine-minute video of some 20 actors appeared on TV and social media, listing the achievements of Sisi’s first term, such as the major success of the anti-Hepatitis C campaign and housing projects.



A song was released on the same day, with the chorus sung by children. Titled “For Tomorrow,” it features archive scenes of military officers helping the public, as well as President Sisi. The lyrics encourage the public to vote in the election.



Two days earlier, renowned pop singer Hakim released a joyful song calling on everyone to cast their vote; however, the video clip only shows Egyptians celebrating and carrying the flag, and does not include Sisi in the lyrics or the clip.



The first to release a song on the election was Emirati artist Hussain Al Jassmi, who is quite popular in Egypt. On March 14, he released the song “Good Evening, President,” where numerous celebrities play different professions in a happy mood. Although the name of Sisi, scenes of him or his images filling the streets today do not appear in the video clip, the signs of his campaign slogan, Tahya Masr (Long Live Egypt) are featured repeatedly. The characters also casually perform the military salute.



Egyptian celebrities traditionally appear in political videos to convince the public of a specific point of view.