File Photo: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Reuters)
Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has said he acknowledges that the country's economic reforms are "very tough" but promises that Egyptians will see "great achievements" in the coming days.
Egypt has introduced a series of painful economic reforms aimed at stabilising an economy that has struggled since the 2011 uprising, which include fuel and electricity subsidy cuts, imposing a value-added tax, and a currency flotation.
"The economic reform phase has been very tough, I admit that," El-Sisi said in a televised address during an iftar gathering held on Tuesday. He urged Egyptians to continue to support his measures in tackling the country's economic and political woes.
"We have a deal between me and you and between you and Egypt that we will face the challenges and overcome them together," he said.
The president pledged on Tuesday to make overhauling the country's education and health systems, and administrative reform a priority in his second term, three days after he was sworn in.
He pledged that Egyptians will see "a number of great achievements" in the coming few days, saying that new projects will be inaugurated later this month, after the Islamic holiday of Eid El-Fitr. He did not elaborate what those achievements would be.
"I have great hope that in two years, you will see Egypt in a different place, God willing," he said.
El-Sisi was sworn in for a second term on Saturday, almost two months after he won a landslide victory in a March election.
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