Everyone loves a winner in Egypt’s presidential elections


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Egypt's voting majority is basking in elation now that presidential elections are behind them and Abdel Fattah El Sisi's victory was decisive.

In recent weeks Cairo has been festooned with banners and posters hung by Mr El Sisi’s official campaign as well as private citizens and business owners, anxious to pledge their support. Wedding grooms dressed up as army officers, bridesmaids wore Egypt’s national colours and carried Mr El Sisi’s framed portrait along with their bouquets.

Despite his popularity, Mr El Sisi’s campaign was conducted with extreme reticence due to security concerns. There were no public appearances or debates with Hamdeen Sabahi, his sole opponent.

In his few pre-recorded interviews, Mr El Sisi stressed his love for Egypt and vowed to protect it without going into detail about how his government might mend its ills. With the Egyptian economy in crisis, his promise of security was clearly more compelling than Sabahi’s message of civil rights.

The issue was not whether Mr El Sisi would win, but how many Egyptians would cast their ballot. Mr El Sisi’s supporters hoped that 60 per cent of Egypt’s 54 million registered voters would hit the polls to beat the record 23.6m who took part in the 2012 presidential elections. Mohammed Morsi won in those run-offs with just 12.3m votes. Mr El Sisi swept the polls with 23m votes.

On Monday, the first day of voting, the polls were busy in my downtown neighbourhood, the epicentre of pro-democracy demonstrations in recent years, while those in Saft el Laban, a sprawling informal quarter of Cairo with a strong Islamist contingency, were quiet. That night, the state announced that the second day of elections would be an official holiday and on Tuesday that polling stations would remain open for a third day.

This unprecedented push to get out the vote was portrayed as a matter of national pride. The turnout represented a barometer of citizens’ willingness to do their duty but also their rejection of the persistent demands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters to restore Mohammed Morsi to the presidency. The banned Brotherhood encouraged a boycott as did pro-revolutionary groups, while media figures accused abstainers of “letting the terrorists win”.

Some Egyptians resented the media’s hectoring. “If I don’t like either one of these candidates that’s my democratic right”, said Karim, a 25 year-old working in his father’s grocery store. Campaign managers for both candidates apparently agreed that the extension was uncalled for.

But many average Egyptians approved of measures to encourage a high turnout and offered suggestions for more. Wael, 39, a downtown shop owner echoed the sentiment of a number of TV talk show hosts, that “America and Europe must see that Egypt is on the right path”, adding that the polls should have been open all night, so people could vote in cooler weather. A building guardian who was unable to travel to the polling station where he was registered said turnouts would be higher if people could vote near their work.

While Egypt has chosen another leader from the military establishment, its fifth since the monarchy’s overthrow in the 1950s, Mr El Sisi’s supporters insist the country is moving forward, citing a new political awareness and the triumph of secularism over an Islamist state as major steps towards democracy.

But Egyptians have yet to establish cohesive political parties with viable platforms. Elections remain a popularity contest, with candidates largely unconcerned about communicating specific plans. In that regard, Mr El Sisi’s overwhelming popularity may have backfired. Knowing he’d win anyway many saw no point in voting. Turnout might have been higher if the campaigns had offered more substance beyond “the sacrifice and hard work” often cited by Mr El Sisi as the necessary medicine for Egypt’s future good health.

As the celebratory fireworks began in Tahrir Square, a 19-year old man who works in his family’s kerbside snack kiosk, expressed a widely shared opinion.

“Yes, I voted for El Sisi”, he said. “Everyone loves a winner. If he helps things improve, that’s great. If not, there was a president before him and there will be another after.”

Maria Golia is a Cairo-based author and writer

mariagolia.wordpress.com

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

SERIE A FIXTURES

Friday Sassuolo v Benevento (Kick-off 11.45pm)

Saturday Crotone v Spezia (6pm), Torino v Udinese (9pm), Lazio v Verona (11.45pm)

Sunday Cagliari v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Atalanta v Fiorentina (6pm), Napoli v Sampdoria (6pm), Bologna v Roma (6pm), Genoa v Juventus (9pm), AC Milan v Parma (11.45pm)

UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised

General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.

"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.

He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.

Blonde
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The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games

The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.

Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
Uefa Champions League play-off

First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev

Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S

Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900

Engine: 937cc

Transmission: Six-speed gearbox

Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm

Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km

THE SPECS

Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: six-speed manual

Power: 518bhp

Torque: 625Nm

Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds

Price: Dh633,435

On sale: now

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners

Cryptocurrency Investing  for Dummies – by Kiana Danial 

There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine. 

Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.

Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this  book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.

Begin your cryptocurrency journey here. 

Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104 

Uefa Nations League: How it Works

The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.

The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.

Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.

AIR
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PRESIDENTS CUP

Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:

02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.