Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is putting together the foundation of his electoral platform, said Amr Moussa. The former head of the Constituent Assembly said that in his presidential bid, Al-Sisi's vision will be based on two "axes". The first involves the rebuilding of a modern Egyptian state in accordance for the newly passed constitution. Secondly, said Moussa in a press release to state-owned MENA, Al-Sisi's presidency would be guided with a "shared optimism" with the people to achieve "full development and social justice" and make economic progress for the country. Moussa also said that Al-Sisi's electoral programme would "ensure a decent life" for Egyptian citizens and stress the respect of rights and freedoms guaranteed in the new constitution, especially as they pertained to nondiscrimination, freedom of opinion and peaceful dissent, and "balanced growth." In his Saturday press statement, the former foreign minister said that a group of public figures and experts were involved in "intensive discussions" to develop a programme encompassing development and reform that would be adopted by Egypt's top general in his potential presidential run. Moussa also stressed "the need to reduce poverty and achieve significant and rapid improvement in the quality of life for all citizens, and return the middle class back to its normal size". The electoral platform, according to Moussa, would also provide plans for "restoring security" and "reforming state institutions" and cracking down on corruption. He added that Al-Sisi's electoral platform would also confront a number of issues including youth development, overpopulation in urban areas, and institutional inefficiency. Moussa also said Al-Sisi's plans would include launching development projects on a number of scales "to overcome youth unemployment" and increase national productivity. The former presidential candidate also said that "the protection and optimisation of Egypt's vital interests, especially in the fields of water and energy" would be part of Al-Sisi's programme. Moussa's media consultant Yara Khalaf told Daily News Egypt that the politician would not take on an official role in a potential Al-Sisi presidential bid, but added that he and Al-Sisi share a close relationship and would be in contact for unofficial advice. Al-Sisi has yet to officially announce that he plans to run for president. However, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in January announced that it "could not help but respect the will of the broad masses in the nomination of Al-Sisi for presidency, which it considers a mandate and an obligation". A number of politicians and groups have also called on Al-Sisi to run for president in elections scheduled to take place in the coming months. The field marshal, who announced former president Mohamed Morsi's ouster last July, would have to formally retire from the armed forces. Currently, Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabahy is the only major politician to announce he intends to run in upcoming elections. Retired general and former Chief of Staff Sami Anan had previously announced his plans to run for the presidency, but abruptly announced his withdrawal at a press conference earlier this month. Khaled Ali and Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, who both ran in the 2012 presidential elections, announced they would not participate in the upcoming poll, announcing they held doubts that the current political environment would allow for free and fair elections.
