With eye on top job, Egypt's el-Sisi focuses on populist policies
With an eye on the presidency, military chief turns attention to domestic issues, say insiders
Having secured victory in a referendum on a relatively liberal constitution that he championed, Egypt's military chief is turning his attention to the country's overwhelming array of problems - from health and education to government subsidies and investment, insiders said.
Behind closed doors in his Defence Ministry office, General Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has been poring over thick files on domestic issues such as education, social services, subsidies and investment, said the insiders.
The revelations offer the latest indication that el-Sisi is planning a run for president, capping a stunning transformation for the 59-year-old officer who started in the infantry. He was widely seen as an obscure and acquiescent subordinate a year and a half ago when then-president Mohammed Mursi promoted him to defence minister in what has since emerged as a colossal politicalmiscalculation.
In swift succession, el-Sisi threw Mursi in jail along with hundreds of his Islamist cohorts and his Muslim Brotherhood has been declared a terrorist group and membership of it banned.
El-Sisi’s populist power is derived from his ability to instil optimism, joy and pride in the hearts of many Egyptians
El-Sisi remains an enigma: Little is known about his private life, other than he is married with four children.