Fawzi’s remarks came during the campaign’s second press conference held Thursday to announce the upcoming steps we will take in the next phase, highlighting the measures taken since the launch of the official campaign.
His statement came while explaining how coordinating efforts are going with supporting entities and political parties during the election campaign period.
“Our candidate stands on a broad platform, and every Egyptian will find something satisfying in our candidate,” Fawzi said.
Regarding the possibility of postponing the presidential elections due to the ongoing Israel war on Gaza, Fawzi indicated that there is no room for postponement constitutionally, legally, or realistically.
"We have no reason to postpone the elections as Egypt enjoys security, safety, and stability with all borders secured, and there is no room to entertain such an idea."
Egyptians Abroad Allowed to Vote with Expired National IDs
During the conference, Fawzi stated that voting for Egyptians abroad is permissible with the National ID card, even if expired.
They also are allowed to vote using a valid passport, he said.
These are the rules issued by the National Election Authority (NEA), Fawzi noted.
According to the timetable announced by Egypt’s NEA, Egyptians abroad will cast their votes on 1-3 December, and voting in Egypt will occur from 10 to 12 December. The final result will be announced on 18 December if no run-off is required.
On Thursday, 9 November, Egypt's presidential election campaign kicked off and will last for one month for the race slated for December.
El-Sisi as President vs. Candidate
The head of El-Sisi's presidential campaign emphasized the distinction between El-Sisi's activities as President and candidate.
From the beginning, Fawzy said, a clear line was drawn between the campaign and the presidential candidate's activities, and there is no interference in presidential, governmental, or official activities unless circumstances necessitate it.
“This was evident when the campaign was suspended after the escalation of events in Palestine to avoid using the issue for electoral propaganda and leave the handling of the matter to Egyptian diplomacy and relevant authorities,” he said.
In this regard, Fawzi said, “We have a directive to minimize electoral propaganda to its lowest levels,” directing donors to direct their donations to the campaign to “our Palestinian brothers in Gaza”.
He added, "We hope all competing campaigns take the same action by reducing campaign expenses and assisting our brothers in Gaza instead, but they are free to decide. We also hope that supporting parties direct their efforts towards our people in Gaza."
When can citizens feel improvements?
In response to a question about when citizens will feel an improvement in their living conditions amidst the electricity cuts and rising prices crisis, Fawzi said some try to spread negativity, and though there are economic challenges and crises, they do not represent the complete picture.”
“We should compare where we were and where we are now."
He pointed out that the most challenging part of economic reform has been concluded, affirming that a strong foundation for the state has been established.
Fawzi added that the reasons for the problems have been identified, and he emphasized the need to rely on ourselves, focus on manufacturing and employment, reduce imports, and increase exports.
These are the keys to success, and they are being pursued through scientific and peaceful means, he said, adding that citizens will feel an improvement in their living conditions in the short term.
Will El-Sisi Present an Electoral Program?
When asked whether El-Sisi will present an electoral programme, Fawzi stated: “Leaders present visions, not programs”.
The electoral program, he said, is presented by a member of parliament when running for election in their constituency, or it is presented by the government when seeking the confidence of the parliament.
He mentioned that El-Sisi will present a "vision," explaining that "the vision sets goals, and these goals can be implemented through an infinite number of projects."
Moreover, Fawzi provided proof of this by referring to the first presidential term in 2014 and the second term in 2018, affirming that the proof came through actions rather than just words, and the results can be seen in the votes and the accomplishments.
Fawzi restated that "great leaders present visions and set high-level goals, not just projects or electoral programs."
He announced that the detailed vision of the candidate will be revealed in the upcoming press conference, focusing on political, economic, and societal aspects.
Fawzi affirmed that "the economic aspect holds a lot of hope, ambition, and good news" and that political reform is firmly on the agenda.
He also highlighted that the significant progress in the political file is attributed to the stability of the state.
Campaign’s Activities
During the conference, Fawzi presented numbers and statistics from the meetings held with independent national experts in various fields from 8 October 2023 till 8 November 2023.
The campaign conducted 75 meetings, including three external visits; it met with 203 entities representing institutions, unions, and associations adopting different ideologies. The campaign also received 1,600 visitors at the official campaign headquarters, including women, youth, university students, workers, farmers, athletes, industrialists, investors, intellectuals, and artists.
Fawzi added that the campaign met with 50 political parties, 20 unions (professional and labour), and youth entities, and it also received several experts in the economic, social, and political fields to listen to their opinions.
These meetings will culminate in compiling a document of the challenges facing Egyptian citizens demographically and geographically, which will be handed to our presidential candidate.
The campaign also held several meetings with Egyptians abroad to discuss ways of continuous interaction. Moreover, it held meetings with the ambassadors of some European countries and an extensive meeting with the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo and embassy members.
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