Sisi runs for president in Nasser’s shadow

On March 26, Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced his retirement from military service and his candidacy in Egypt’s presidential elections.

In a televised address that same day, Sisi said that it was his last day in military uniform after spending his "entire life" serving the country as a soldier. Possibly in response to critics who consider his candidacy anti-democratic, he said, “Never can anyone force Egyptians to vote for a president they do not want. Therefore, I am here before you humbly stating my intention to run for the presidency.” He added, “Only your support will grant me this great honor.” And while social networks saw many criticizing him for using state media to announce his candidacy, many Egyptians cheered upon hearing the news, which they had long waited for.

Sisi has been persistently compared with Gamal Abdel Nasser by Egyptians in the street and in the media. Nasser’s posters have been raised in Tahrir Square almost since the beginning of the January 25 Revolution, expressing a deep sense of nostalgia for the 1960s, although the majority of Egyptians living today were born during Hosni Mubarak’s rule, who took office as president more than 11 years after Nasser’s death.

Since the last days of Mohammed Morsi's presidency, protesters would often raise pictures of Nasser and Sisi side by side. Many would chant against the Muslim Brotherhood and call for the removal of “Morshed’s rule.” (Al-Morshed is the Brotherhood’s supreme guide.) One popular chant says, “Nasser said it [a] long time ago, do not trust the Brotherhood.”