Egypt’s former military chief Abdelfattah al-Sisi was sworn in as president of Egypt June 8, following his victory in the May presidential election.
Egypt’s former military chief Abdelfattah al-Sisi was sworn in as president of Egypt June 8, following his victory in the May presidential election. That election took place less than a year after the Egyptian military removed then-President Mohammad Morsi from office, after millions of Egyptians took to the streets objecting to what they claimed was Mr. Morsi’s increasingly authoritarian rule. The past year in Egypt has seen a crackdown on Mr. Morsi’s supporters, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, and arrests and detentions of many secular activists.
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The U.S. and Egypt's New President
In a statement, the White House said the United States “look[s] forward to working with Abdelfattah al-Sisi, to advance our strategic partnership and the many interests shared by the United States and Egypt.”
The White House said that while it was pleased that international organizations were allowed to participate in the Egyptian elections, “We also
share concerns raised by observation groups about the restrictive political environment in which this election took place.” In addition, the White House reiterated concerns “about limits on freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and expression,” and called upon the Egyptian government “to ensure these freedoms as well as due process rights for all Egyptians.”
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said that the United States believes “Egypt needs to continue its transition towards a stable, inclusive, and civilian-led democracy. … Democracy is about more than just a ballot box,” Ms. Harf said. “It’s about how you govern; it’s about how inclusive you are; so we are going to be looking at all those things going forward.”
“Egypt and its people have made clear their demands for dignity, justice, and political and economic opportunity,” the White House said in its statement. “The United States fully supports the democratic aspirations of the Egyptian people and we will stand with them as they pursue the future that they deserve.”
