The general coordinator of the election campaign of Egyptian presidential candidate Abdel Sanad Yamama said that one of those who drew up Yamama’s electoral programme is Amr Moussa, and pointed out that the electoral programme was drawn up by a large group of experienced people in various fields, saying: “The Wafd Party has great figures in economics, doctors in politics and law, and doctors in nuclear science, and a large group of figures came together to prepare the programme, headed by Mr Amr Moussa and Dr Mostafa El-Feki.”
The former Secretary-General of the Arab League and former Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa had attacked the head of the Wafd Party, Abdel Sanad Yamama, last July after the latter announced his intention to run in the upcoming presidential election.
In a series of tweets published on his official “Twitter” account, Amr Moussa said: “Where are the justifications for the candidacy? Where are the differences from current policies, the grounds for objection and the plans to change them? To praise the policies and the President and then run against him is political clowning that the Wafd and the Wafdists must stay away from. Electing the head of state is a serious matter that does not tolerate frivolity.”
Moussa criticised the party head’s failure to abide by the regulations and his announcement of his intention to run without referring to the party’s institutions, writing: “I call on the party’s institutions to ensure compliance with the provisions of the regulations governing the candidacy process and the selection of the candidate.”
Moussa added: “Failure to respect the regulations strips the candidacy of legitimacy, and the use of party funds in the election campaign in this case would constitute the crime of seizing public money, chargeable to the candidate and to the institutions that allowed it alike. Moreover, ignoring the party’s regulations undermines the credibility of the party’s and the candidate’s political talk about respecting the constitution and the laws of the state and makes it an untrustworthy claim, for respect for the law is an indivisible whole.”
Yamama had stated yesterday that rival presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi does not need to be hosted in the media to talk about his electoral programme. He added, during an exclusive interview on the programme “Yahdoth fi Masr”, presented by Sherif Amer and broadcast on MBC Masr on Wednesday evening, that President Sisi’s appearance in a television interview is not urgent, because he has many works and achievements he has accomplished over the past years, and therefore he has no need for media interviews, adding: “President Sisi’s achievements precede him, from the past 10 years.”
Eid Heikal, general coordinator of the election campaign, said in a phone-in on DMC that the economic issue is at the top of the electoral programme’s priorities, especially given the current living conditions.
He added that the electoral programme puts forward radical solutions to the economic crisis, in addition to the problems of education, noting at the same time that the Wafd Party sees the need to cancel the Declaration of Principles agreement on the Renaissance Dam, given the danger the Renaissance Dam poses to the state’s water resources.
He continued that the electoral programme stands fully in solidarity with Egypt’s current political position on the Palestinian cause in the face of Zionist aggression and the crimes of genocide to which the Palestinian people are being subjected, commenting: “The Wafd Party’s electoral programme has radical solutions to all the problems the state is going through.”
He added: “The Wafd Party enters this battle not as an honorary guest but as a competitor, and we see that the real competition for the presidential seat will be between President Sisi and Dr Abdel Sanad Yamama.”
Heikal bet that the head of the Wafd Party will not be a guest of honour in the presidential election, and that the real competition will be between President Sisi and Abdel Sanad Yamama.
Presidential candidate Abdel Sanad Yamama said that his electoral programme targets important economic reforms, including that the question of Egypt importing 80% of goods, most importantly medicines, must be studied.
He added during a press conference on Thursday that the local currency has fallen by 85%, in addition to all food commodities and products having risen tenfold between 2014 and 2023, while salaries have not risen at the same rate.
He continued: “The economic pillar of the electoral programme discusses several pillars, perhaps the most important of which is the economic situation and how to get out of the crisis, along with the need for investment, financial reform and public debt.”
It is worth noting that the National Election Authority set 16 and 17 October for announcing and publishing in the Official Gazette the preliminary list of candidates’ names and the numbers of recommenders or supporters for each of them.
The authority set 3 days of voting for Egyptians abroad, on 1, 2 and 3 December, and set 10, 11 and 12 December for Egyptians at home. The preliminary result of the Egyptian presidential election is scheduled to be announced on 18 December.
