Louisa Loveluck in Cairo theguardian.com, Monday 5 May 2014
Abdel Fatah al-Sisi emphasises role of media in uniting country and hints at tough austerity measures to revive economy
Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the frontunner in the Egyptian elections. Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images
Egypt's former military chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi officially launched his presidential campaign on Saturday, exactly 10 months after leading the overthrow of Mohamed Morsi.
At a meeting with a leading media personalities, Sisi emphasised the "critical" role of the local press in the months ahead. "They are capable of uniting Egyptians after the massive polarisation," he said.
Sisi hinted on Saturday that he could implement tough austerity measures to revive Egypt's ailing economy if elected.
Some food prices have risen by two-thirds since the 2011 revolution. "I get letters from people that can't find food … and they tell me, 'we're not eating, but we accept that for your sake,'" Sisi told the state newspaper al-Ahram.
Hamdeen Sabahi, a Nasserist who came third in the first round of Egypt's 2012 presidential elections, used the first day of his campaign to try to establish clear ground between himself and the frontrunner Sisi. He promised to revoke a law that places heavy restrictions on the right to protest.
"I will put a stop to the protest law and will re-issue a law that regulates but doesn't ban peaceful protesting," he said in a speech aired on state television.
The law, issued in late November, bans demonstrations by groups of more than 10 people without an official permit. A number of high-profile figures from Sabahi's Popular Current party have been imprisoned under the law.
Sabahi has vowed to focus on reforming the Egyptian state, maintaining security, kickstarting the economy and restoring social justice. These lofty promises appear to many to be the idealism of a campaign that cannot win but that wants to build a support base for the future.
His rhetoric strikes a fine balance between carving out political space between himself and Sisi, and supporting the current government's popular crackdown on its rivals. In an apparent reference to secular and liberal political groups that have fallen prey to a dragnet of arrests aimed ostensibly at Islamists, Sabahi promised to free all "opinion prisoners".
According to a recent survey by the Egyptian polling centre Baseera, 72% of those who intend to vote in the elections on 26-27 May say they will back Sisi, and 2% Sabahi.
