The US President Joe Biden made a funny mistake by calling the Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi “the president of Mexico“.
President Biden said that at first, the president of Mexico, Sisi, did not want to let humanitarian materials go into Gaza. He said this during a press conference on Thursday when talking about the fighting between Israel and Gaza.
The president of Mexico is named Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Egyptians have given President al-Sisi the nickname “El Meksiki” which means “The Mexican” to avoid censorship.
“You can’t freely say negative things about the president in Egypt. That’s why some people started calling him ‘El Meksiki’ (‘the Mexican’ in Arabic) because it sounds like ‘al-Sisi’ and this way they can criticize him without getting censored,” one person explained on X (formerly Twitter).
In the US, people are worried about President Biden’s health and ability to think clearly. But the President says he is fit to do his job.
Tag: Sisi
-
Egyptians make fun of Biden for referring to Sisi as “president of Mexico”
-
Egypt election: Growing discontent as Sisi runs for third term
Once, a lot of people thought that Egypt’s leader, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, would save the country. But now, people see him in a new way.
A decade ago, Egyptians were happy to see the general become the president, but now they are not as happy as they thought they would be.
As Mr Sisi tries to become president for the third time in a row, many people are worried about the bad economy.
Nadia is having a hard time making enough money because Mr. Sisi’s government is making changes to the economy.
The 57-year-old woman has six children and sells newspapers to make ends meet.
Nadia, who lives in a small apartment in a crowded part of Cairo, told me that she hasn’t bought meat in three years. She feels like life is getting more expensive every day.
Nadia is a widow and a mother of six. She sells newspapers in Cairo.
“I get really scared to go to sleep sometimes because I know when I wake up, things will cost more,” she says with a weak smile and sad eyes.
The most recent official numbers show that in October, Egypt’s prices went up by 38. 5%This is a little less than the 40. 3% increase reported last month.
These numbers are very high in the Arab world’s biggest country, and the actual rise in prices that regular people experience is often even higher than what the government says.
‘Nobody remembers us’
But because things cost more, Nadia is making less money.
More than 10 years ago, she used to sell almost 200 newspapers every day, but now she only sells about 20.
Nadia says that making a meal today costs between 300 and 500 Egyptian pounds, but a few years ago it was much cheaper, about a sixth of the price.
“She says that even fruit costs too much. ”In the last nine months, the Egyptian money has dropped by more than half in value compared to the US money.
The Egyptian economy relies a lot on buying things from other countries. This has made the prices of basic things go up a lot, so many families can’t afford them. People have also started trading foreign money in secret.
Nadia is not feeling very hopeful and seems worried.
“No one cares about the poor. ” She feels like nobody sees us. We are being ignored.
Promises of wealth and success.
Ever since Mr Sisi became president in 2014, a lot of money has been spent on big construction projects. This happened after he led the military to remove the previous president, Mohammed Morsi, from power.
They made the roads bigger and added bridges, and they also built a new capital city near Cairo that cost a lot of money but hardly anyone lives there.
Critics say that being careless with money has used up a lot of the country’s economic resources and caused very high levels of debt that have hurt the economy a lot.
The president’s followers think that building cities has made life better for people and will bring in important money from other countries, leading to better times ahead.
Walid Gaballah, an economist and a member of the Egyptian Society for Political Economy, Statistics and Legislation, thinks that these projects have created jobs and helped to reduce unemployment in Egypt.
He also thinks that global forces are partly responsible for the current economic crisis.
“The money the government saved from their reforms was used for the coronavirus pandemic. ” “Then the war in Ukraine happened and many foreign investors took their money out of Egyptian banks,” he said.The government has talked a lot about how it’s putting money into programs to help poor and vulnerable Egyptians.
But people are still unhappy about how their lives are getting even harder.
According to official numbers, almost 30 out of every 100 people in Egypt, which has a population of 100 million, live in poverty. Since 2016, the government borrowed over $20 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help with its budget.
At the same time, the government has been making cuts to save money and improve the economy of the country. Many important things no longer have government help, like gas, so their prices are going higher.
Single horse competition
Many Egyptians are unhappy, but there are not many options in this election. It seems like only one candidate will win.
Opposition groups are upset because they can’t work well, because the government is always trying to stop them from speaking out.
Three not well-known politicians are trying to become president but most people think that Mr Sisi will win easily and have another six years in office.
Former MP Ahmed Tantawy was a top contender in the election, but he quit because he didn’t get enough support from the public.
In October, he said that the authorities arrested almost 100 people from his campaign to stop him from running.
Mr Tantawy is being judged for printing and sharing election papers without permission.
Scared to go back home
Human rights campaigners are upset about strict security rules, just like opposition politicians. They say it is getting harder to prove when people are mistreated.
Mina Thabet, an activist living in the UK for almost six years, says that it is risky to fight for human rights in Egypt. He told me this over Zoom.
He still remembers the bad things that happened when he was held in Egypt in 2016. People said he was part of a group that is not allowed and told lies, which is what the government often accuses its critics of.
“I had my eyes covered and my hands tied up. ” A police officer has hit me and said they would take off my clothes and hurt me.
Mr Thabet went to the UK to study one year after he was released. He didn’t want to go home because he was scared he might go back to jail.
“I had a good sleep for the first time after I left Egypt,” he said.
He thinks the election is just a continuation of Mr Sisi’s strict rules, which he says do not allow any opposition.
“Many people in Egypt who stand up for human rights are having their money frozen or being stopped from traveling. ” You can’t do your work without worrying about getting in trouble or being treated unfairly.
MrThabet said he will only go back to Egypt when he feels like it’s safe to work and share his opinions without worrying about the government punishing him.
The people in charge have ignored this criticism because they think it is just about politics.
They created a group that has given permission for many political prisoners to be released, and they plan to do more to make the country’s human rights better.
Local and international human rights organizations say that many people who were put in jail for their political beliefs. The government disagrees with this number.
In Cairo, there are posters of Mr Sisi on every street.
His team is working to show voters that things will get better in the future. But a lot of people here are curious if his winning again would actually make any difference. -
Sisi of Egypt leads polls as vote counting process gets underway
Egypt’s election officials are now counting the votes after the presidential elections ended.
Voting started on Sunday and finished at 9 p. m on Tuesday, with over 67 million people signed up to vote.
Current President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi wants to be re-elected for a third time in a row.
Many Egyptians think Mr Sisi will easily win a new six-year term as president, even though there are three other candidates running for the position.
Initial results show that Mr. Sisi is currently winning.
The final results will be announced on 18 December.More update on this story soon…
-
Unrest in Egypt rises as Sisi runs for third term
Many people used to think Egypt’s leader Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was a hero, but now they see him differently.
A decade ago, Egyptians were happy and cheered for the general who became president. But now, they are not as happy as they thought they would be.
Mr Sisi is running for president for the third time in a row next week. Most people are upset about the bad economy.
Nadia is having a hard time making enough money because Mr. Sisi’s government is making changes to the economy.
The woman is 57 years old, her husband passed away, and she has six children. She struggles to earn enough money by selling newspapers on the street.
In her tiny apartment in a crowded part of Cairo, Nadia tells me that she hasn’t bought meat in three years. She thinks that life is getting more and more expensive every day.
“I’m afraid to sleep because I know prices will be higher in the morning,” she said with a sad smile.
The most recent numbers show that Egypt’s prices went up by 38. 5% in October, which is a little less than the 40. 3% increase from the month before.
These numbers are very high in the most crowded country in the Arab world, and normal people often experience even higher inflation than what the government reports.‘No one remembers us. ‘
However, as the cost of things has gone up, Nadia’s earnings have gone down.
More than ten years ago, she sold almost 200 newspapers every day. But now she only sells about 20 newspapers.
Nadia says that cooking a meal today costs between 300 and 500 Egyptian pounds, but a few years ago it was about six times cheaper.
“She said that even fruits are very expensive. ”
In the last nine months, the money in Egypt is worth much less compared to the US dollar.
Egypt’s economy relies a lot on imported goods. This has caused the prices of everyday things to go way up, making them too expensive for a lot of families. People have also started trading foreign money on the black market.
Nadia does not feel very hopeful and is clearly worried.
No one cares about the poor. She says it feels like no one sees us and we are being forgotten.
Promises of success and wealth
Ever since Mr. Sisi became president in 2014, a lot of money has been spent on big building projects after he got rid of the previous president, Mohammed Morsi.
New roads and bridges have been built, and a new expensive capital city has been made near Cairo, but not many people live there yet.
Critics say the government’s bad money management has used up a lot of the country’s money and caused very high levels of debt that have harmed the economy a lot.
The president’s followers think that cities getting bigger has made life better for people and will bring in foreign money, leading to better times ahead.
Walid Gaballah, an economist and member of the Egyptian Society for Political Economy, Statistics and Legislation, thinks these projects have made a lot of jobs and helped to solve Egypt’s problem with people not having jobs.
He thinks that global forces are partly to blame for the current economic problems.
The money saved from the government’s reforms was used up by the coronavirus pandemic. “Then the Ukraine war happened, and lots of people from other countries took their money out of Egyptian banks,” he explains.The government keeps talking about how it spends money on programs to help the poorest and most vulnerable people in Egypt.
However, people are still unhappy about their living conditions getting even worse.
Approximately 30 out of every 100 people in Egypt live in poverty, according to government data. Since 2016, the government took out over $20 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help with its budget.
At the same time, the government has put in place spending cuts to improve the country’s economy. Many important items, like fuel, no longer get financial help, which makes their prices go higher.A race with only one competitor.
Many Egyptians are not happy, but they don’t have many options in this election. It seems like only one person has a chance to win.
Opposition groups are saying they can’t work well because the government keeps stopping them from speaking out.
Even though there are three unknown politicians running against the president, most people think that the president will easily win another six years in office.
Ahmed Tantawy, a former MP, was a likely candidate in the election. But he quit because he couldn’t get enough support from the public.
In October, he said that the government arrested almost 100 people from his team to stop him from running for office.
Mr Tantawy is being tested in court for printing and sharing election papers without permission.Worries about going back home.
Human rights campaigners are also upset about strict security rules, just like politicians from the other party. They say it is getting harder to record and prove that abuses have happened.
“Talking about human rights in Egypt is risky,” said Mina Thabet, an activist who has been living in the UK for almost six years. He told me this over Zoom.
He remembers the bad things that happened when he was kept in Egypt for a month in 2016. He was accused of being part of a banned group and spreading lies, which is something the government often accuses its critics of doing.
“I can’t see because my eyes are covered and my hands are tied. ” A police officer hurt me and said they would take off my clothes and hurt me more.
Mr Thabet went to the UK to study one year after he was released. He chose not to go home because he was afraid he might go to jail again.
He said, “I slept well for the first time after I left Egypt. ”
He thinks the election is just another way for Mr Sisi to continue his strict policies, which do not allow any opposition.
“A lot of my friends who stand up for human rights in Egypt are having their money blocked, or they can’t travel anywhere. ” You can’t do your work without being afraid of getting in trouble.
Mr Thabet says he will only return to Egypt when he can work and speak freely without fear of the government punishing him.
The people in charge have always ignored this criticism and said it was just about politics.
They made a group that has given forgiveness to many political prisoners, and they said they will do more to make the country’s human rights better.
Local and global human rights groups say there are many political prisoners in jail, but the government disagrees.
His team is working hard to persuade people that things will get better in the future. Many people here are wondering if his re-election would make any real difference. -
Sisi of Egypt faces an unexpected electoral challenge
Egyptians are really interested and caught up in the exciting beginning of their country’s presidential election campaign, which started earlier than expected.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is almost certain to be re-elected for another six-year term, even though his government is currently dealing with very high inflation rates and a large amount of debt.
The left-wing politician and former MP Ahmed al-Tantawi, who strongly opposes the government, has started an uncommon political campaign in Egypt.
President Sisi hosted a big, three-day conference on TV called “Story of the Homeland” to talk about what happened in the past ten years and officially announce that he is running for office.
Mr Sisi said that he is answering the calls of the Egyptians once again. He has decided to nominate himself for another term as president in order to fulfill their dreams. The audience of officials and important people cheered and applauded in response.
“I am asking all Egyptians to take part in this democratic process and use their love for their country to decide who is deserving,” he said.
At the right moment, many people gathered in different cities in Egypt to show their support.
Many people crowded into a square in Giza and happily waved flags. Many people from nearby poor neighborhoods came because they wanted to attend a party with famous singers. But some people told the BBC that they were government workers who were told to go.
As Egyptian television talk shows, which are very popular but also heavily regulated, talked about these pictures, videos were also shared on social media showing small protests. These protests were particularly noticeable in the small coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, where banners with the president’s image were torn down and destroyed.
A few Arabic hashtags quickly became popular. Not only “Sisi” with requests for a “million man” march to support him, but also “Leave, loser”, which is being shared by thousands of people.
The choice to plan the election for December 10-12, which is much earlier than needed, seems to be connected to Egypt’s serious economic problems. Experts are predicting that another difficult decision will be made next year to reduce the value of the currency.
During a conference this week in Egypt’s new administrative capital, which is an expensive project of Mr. Sisi’s government being constructed in the desert east of Cairo, the president asked regular people to make sacrifices to handle the increasing prices.
“He said, Egyptians should not even think about choosing to eat instead of working hard and making advancements. ” If we have to be hungry and thirsty in order for the country to improve and be successful, then we should choose not to eat or drink.His opponent, Ahmed al-Tantawi, quickly criticized those remarks as being “dangerous” and indicating a “cruel approach”. He stated that Egyptians were being expected to face hunger and a lack of necessities.
He expressed disapproval towards Mr Sisi, saying that Mr Sisi’s idea of progress involves constructing large buildings, cities, and palaces in the desert instead of prioritizing the wellbeing of people by ensuring they have a good life, including access to quality education and healthcare.
We don’t know yet if Mr. Tantawi, who is one of the few people running for president, will participate in the competition.
The internet watchdog CitizenLab in Canada has found that his phone has been attacked with advanced spyware.
He also said that everyday Egyptians have had a hard time registering their support for his candidacy at public notary offices. Some people say that they were assaulted by supporters of the government.
People who want to run for office need either the support of 25,000 signatures from people in 15 different areas, or the support of 20 Members of Parliament who are likely to vote for Mr Sisi.
Egypt’s National Election Authority says it is looking into the complaints and keeping notary offices open for longer.
President Sisi, who used to be a general in the army, led the military’s removal of Mohammed Morsi, who was elected as the president of the country through a democratic process and belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood. This happened in 2013, after Morsi had been in power for one year, following a lot of people protesting on the streets.
He won the presidential elections in both 2014 and 2018 with 97% of the vote. In 2019, the constitution was changed to allow him to stay in power for two more years and run for a third term. People voted and agreed on this change.
Mr Sisi’s time as leader has involved stopping the Muslim Brotherhood completely. They were previously the strongest opposition group in the country, but their leaders are now imprisoned or living outside of Egypt.
Activists say that many people who criticize the government have been put in jail. Most of them are Islamists, but there are also non-religious activists, including many who were involved in the 2011 uprising that removed President Hosni Mubarak from power.
Mr Sisi used to be viewed as someone who would bring stability to Egypt after a long period of trouble, and he was able to show himself as a powerful leader. But, he has become less popular as the country’s economic problems have gotten worse.
Egypt, which relies on importing a lot of wheat, was severely affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine after struggling with financial difficulties for many years. The value of the currency has decreased three times since the beginning of last year, and it has lost more than half of its value compared to the dollar. In August, prices increased a lot, almost 40%.
The president has been saying in his speeches that this year’s election is an opportunity to start over and make new beginnings. “We are about to start a new government that aims to finish the process of keeping the state alive and reconstruct it based on modern principles and democracy,” he announced.
Many Egyptians know that this election will not bring change, but instead more difficult times.