Sudanese Islamist groups denounce results of Egypt’s presidential elections
May 31, 2014 (KHARTOUM) – Several Sudanese Islamist groups have organized an oratorical festival on Friday to denounce the victory of Egypt’s former military chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in the presidential elections conducted this week.
Preliminary results on Thursday have shown that al-Sisi is heading for a huge victory. He had gained about 90% of the vote after 2,000 of 12,000 polling stations reported their results. However, turnout is expected to be lower than 45% despite a massive push to get more people to polling stations.
Judicial sources said that al-Sisi gained 93.3% following extension of the voting period to a third day.
Al-Sis’s only contender Hamdeen Sabahi conceded defeat on Thursday.
The Islamist groups considered what is happening in Egypt as a setback for democracy and a return to dictatorship, asserting that it aims to destroy the country and eliminate the Muslim Brotherhood.
The secretary general of the PAO, Nasser al-Sid Mohamed, said in press statements that Sudanese Islamist groups are standing by the Egyptian people in their “ordeal”, underscoring the whole Islamic world is targeted by one enemy.
The Sudanese foreign minister had revealed in an interview with the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper published on Thursday that Sudan’s relations with ex-Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi’s government experienced a serious strain.
“Frankly, our relations have been strained in the era of Morsi more than in the era of former President Hosni Mubarak because many of the issues that we thought that the [2011] revolution will eliminate, the government of Morsi was unable to accomplish,” Karti said.
The Sudanese foreign ministry on Friday welcomed results of Egypt’s presidential elections, renewing its full respect for Egyptian people’s choice and expressing hope the established ties between the two countries shall see further development in the coming period.
The foreign ministry spokesperson, Abu Bakr al-Sideeg al-Amin, told the official news agency (SUNA) they hope the completion of the presidential elections and its results represents a step towards achieving political stability and national reconciliation in Egypt.
He expressed hope the coming period witnesses further promotion of the established relations between the two countries and in accordance with the wishes of the two brotherly peoples.
Sudan’s Islamist government has appeared uncomfortable with the developments in Egypt given the common ideology they shared with the former president Mohamed Morsi and the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) which brought him to power before his ouster last year.
(ST)