Stained by Failure to End Terror, Egypt’s Al-Sisi Faces Growing Opposition to Re-election

Last week’s horrific ISIS attack in the northern Sinai Peninsula that left more than 300 bodies strewn inside and around a Sufi mosque: it also left the indelible declaration that contrary to his promises and the confidence he once generated as army chief, President Abdel Fatteh al-Sisi is unable to protect his people. Reflected in that reality is the growing list of candidates willing to stand against Sisi in the next election. The former general was once considered a shoe-in for re-election, but while observers still see him as leading the field by a considerable margin, the opposition is mounting. The latest is a potentially formidable candidate: former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force commander, aviation minister and veteran of a presidential run. Shafiq was the runner-up to the now-deposed Mohamed Morsi in the first post-Mubarak election. Sisi’s standing is not being helped by his record on civil rights and his on-going crackdown on non-supportive media, political opposition and social activists.