CAIRO (AA) – A large poster of Egyptian army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi could be seen at the entrance of a public rally in downtown Cairo's low-income Bulaq neighborhood.
Under the fluttering poster, in which the top general's photo was positioned beside that of a lion, scores of residents swayed to the music of Shaaban Abdel-Rehim, a local pop singer who made international headlines a few years ago by singing against Israel and in support of then foreign minister Amr Moussa.
"Traitors must leave and real men must stay," Abdel-Rehim croons before the ecstatic audience.
"I love Sisi and Borahim," the singer goes on in his trademark – far from melodious – voice, referring to the army chief and Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim.
Abdel-Rehim, an icon for minivan and cab drivers across this populous Arab country, wore a red glittering suit that seemed to offer a special attraction to passersby in the residential, working-class district.
Locals were also drawn in, however, by al-Sisi's image – and the fact that the gala event was specifically held to encourage the top general to run for president.
A sizeable portion of Egyptian society – especially opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement that gave the country its first freely elected president last year – is actively inviting fellow Egyptians to support an al-Sisi presidency.
Several campaigns have emerged calling on Egyptians to sign petitions in support of an al-Sisi presidency – even, if need be, in the absence of presidential elections.
Some observers view the notion of an unelected military leader as a voluntary abdication of one of the main gains of Egypt's January 2011 revolution that ended the 30-year rule of Hosni Mubarak – namely, the right of the people to choose their leaders through the ballot box.
One such campaign recently announced it had managed to collect 3 million citizens' signatures in support of an al-Sisi presidential bid in only a few days.
- Hero Sisi -
In this part of Cairo, local residents have initiated a pro-Sisi campaign under the slogan "We Trust You."
Addressing the Egyptian army and police, campaign founders declared in a statement distributed to attendees: "Because you returned Egypt to us, because you sacrifice your lives, and in order for Egypt to remain ours, we trust you."
The Egyptian army ousted Morsi, the country's first freely-elected president, on July 3 following mass protests against his presidency.
The army also suspended the constitution, approved late last year via popular referendum, and appointed an interim president to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections within nine months.
Here in Bulaq, locals describe al-Sisi as "a savior" and "the man who rescued Egypt."
The Muslim Brotherhood had swept elections for the lower house of Egypt's parliament, dissolved days before Morsi assumed office in June 2012, and the upper house of parliament, dissolved after Morsi was ousted on July 3.
"Sisi is a great man; he deserves to be president," said Bulaq resident Abu Yasser, as he actively sang in support of the top general.
In his mid-fifties, Abu Yasser held a photo of the general aloft, showing it off to everybody present as if honored to simply be holding it.
Over his head, light bulbs of all colors added to the merriment. On the stage, a few meters away, a man used a loudspeaker to invite the audience to draw closer.
"Whoever loves the Egyptian army, come here," he said, as attendees rushed toward the stage.
- Public will -
Another Sisi-for-president initiative has modeled itself on Egypt's Tamarod campaign, the movement that claimed to have collected more than 20 million citizens' signatures in support of Morsi's removal.
The "Complete your favor" petition – the first favor having been Morsi's removal – aims to collect endorsements in the form of powers-of-attorney in support of an election-less al-Sisi presidential bid.
"The powers-of-attorney are an expression of the will of the public," campaign coordinator Mohamed Shaarawi told Anadolu Agency.
A few days ago, he and his colleagues had invited the public to sign powers-of-attorney in central Cairo.
"General Sisi is a man with political and military experience; this is why Egypt badly needs him," Shaarawi said.
Not everybody, however, is convinced.
As Shaarawi and his colleagues tried to convince passersby to sign on to the printed powers of attorney, some seemed opposed to the idea.
"I think Sisi is good in his place now," said Mona Abdel-Aziz, a 21-year-old tourism student.
"But if he runs for president, everybody will say that he backed the move against Morsi to be president himself."
Nevertheless, Abdel-Aziz pulled a pen out of her handbag and signed one of Shaarawi's petitions.
Egyptian army spokesman Ahmed Ali has repeatedly denied any intention on the part of al-Sisi to run for president.
But this has not discouraged Shaarawi and his colleagues, who say they plan to eventually take the powers-of-attorney to Egypt's Constitutional Court so the court can rule on their legality.
After this, they say, they will officially ask al-Sisi to yield to what they describe as the "will of the people."
"When we collect enough signatures from the public, Sisi must obey the people's wishes."
By Amr Emam – Anadolu Agency
englishnews@aa.com.tr
