From Titanic to Harry Potter, social media users mock Egypt’s predictable election as el-Sisi eyes easy win
The outcome of the vote is a foregone conclusion, so the advertising blitz appears aimed at encouraging turnout to try and bolster its legitimacy
In a surreal scene from the 2001 film Vanilla Sky, Tom Cruise runs through a deserted Times Square before screaming in despair. In a satirical version widely shared in Egypt, the square is filled with campaign billboards for President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.
Open your eyes anywhere in Egypt these days, and you will see billboards, banners and posters hailing the general-turned-president, who will stand for re-election next week against a little-known politician who has made no effort to challenge him.
The outcome of the election is a foregone conclusion, so the advertising blitz appears aimed at encouraging turnout to try and bolster the vote’s legitimacy.
In the meantime, the displays have provoked a wave of grim satire on social media, one of the last remaining avenues for dissent amid a sweeping crackdown that has escalated in the lead-up to the March 26 to 28 vote.
A still photo cropped from the 1997 blockbuster Titanic shows Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet seated on the doomed ship’s deck with an el-Sisi banner in the background. Another shows the stars of Friends gathered at their favourite cafe, with a sign outside saying: “Gunther and the rest of the staff at Central Perk support Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.”