Sisi: Support the state by coming out to vote

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has called on people to participate in the upcoming presidential elections even if they plan to vote against him.

Speaking during a visit to the Ministry of the Interior yesterday, Al-Sisi said coming out to vote “represents support to the state and its project”.

“If all eligible voters take part in the elections and one-third of them vote ‘no’, it will be better than if half of eligible voters participate and most of them vote ‘yes’,” Al-Sisi said.

“We promise to be honest toward each vote,” he added.

“Participate and [vote] ‘no’ in the elections, because ‘no’ also gives a good impression of Egypt,” Al-Sisi continued.

Read: Egypt’s Sisi warns opponents as calls to boycott election build

Al-Sisi’s remarks came amid calls for a boycott of the elections as several of his opponents have been forced to withdraw their candidacy or have been arrested.

Politicians say that the Egyptian authorities have manipulated the upcoming elections to guarantee a win for Al-Sisi, who now faces only an obscure politician who supports him as an adversary.

But the country’s electoral commission has pledged to run the vote “according to principles of independence, transparency and objectivity.”