Cairo, Oct. 3, (dpa/GNA) – After Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced his candidacy for a third term in office, a rare protest broke out on the country’s north coast.
Dozens of people there tore down banners with Al-Sisi’s face and trampled on them late Monday evening, eyewitnesses said.
At least one banner was set on fire, as seen in videos on social media. Security forces dispersed the crowds in the town of Marsa Matrouh in north-western Egypt, it was said.
In one video posted on social media, shots can be heard as crowds of people flee the street.
Al-Sisi announced in a televised speech on Monday evening that he would run again in the presidential election in December.
Thousands of supporters gathered in public places in the North African country and cheered after his speech. According to eyewitnesses, the mood changed in Marsa Matrouh at a similar gathering of supporters that evening.
The Egyptian Interior Ministry, however, spoke of a “dispute between some young people” who were trying to be photographed “with Libyan poets.”
According to security sources, 17 people were arrested in Marsa Matrouh, which is only two hours’ drive from the Libyan border.
Al-Sisi came to power in 2013 after a military coup and has ruled Egypt with a hard hand ever since.
It is expected that the electoral authorities will once again declare him the winner of the vote by a large margin.
Only thanks to a constitutional change in 2019 is he allowed to run for a third term, which was also extended from four to six years – until 2030. Protests are extremely rare in Egypt.
GNA