Renad Ghanem

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Egyptian expatriates living in the Kingdom celebrated after Abdul Fattah El-Sisi was elected president, receiving 96.91 percent of the final vote.



Many said El-Sisi has a great responsibility and carries the hopes of millions of Egyptians.



In his speech after the announcement of the final result of the elections, El-Sisi thanked Egyptians in Egypt and abroad for voting for him.



He also thanked the different sectors that participated in the election, especially the police and judiciary.



Egyptian expatriates living in the Kingdom said it is time for El-Sisi to fulfill his promises to ensure peace, security and development for Egypt.



Ahmed Hafez, football coach in the local Jeddah club Al-Ittihad, said El-Sisi won because he deserves that position and because of his bright achievements in the military.



He said: “I’m happy that El-Sisi won. I am, however, afraid of the high expectations of people.



“Al-Sisi has a heavy responsibility ahead of him. There is a lot of work to be done and we want people to be patient.



“As a football coach I hope that El-Sisi will succeed in restoring stability and security and activate the sport sector again. Our sports sector was hit hard and this was reflected in the results of our sport teams.



“Our football tournament was suspended because of the political instability. It is time to bring Egypt back to its glory.”



Hafez said he wished people would fill stadiums again and watch football matches because it would be good for the local economy.



In order to do that, El-Sisi needs to restore security, said Hafez. “I believe that El-Sisi is a wise man and will achieve a lot of success, especially as he has the Egyptians’ trust.”



Hafez added all sectors in Egypt complement each other and if security is restored then sports will return and tourism would blossom.



Muhannad Khalifa, Egyptian engineer living in Jeddah, believed that El-Sisi is qualified enough to restore the Egyptian economy and security in a short time.



He said: “Al-Sisi is capable of achieving a lot but he cannot do it by himself, people should help him. In order for him to achieve what he promised, people should be responsible and work to quickly bring life back to normal.



“The support that have been shown by other countries in the region, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE, gives Al-Sisi the power to do his best not only for Egypt but also for the whole region.”



Salwa Awady, an Egyptian housewife living in Jeddah, believes Egyptians trust the new president a lot.



She said: “Over 23 million people voted for him, meaning people in Egypt trust him. He promised to work for Egypt and we believe that he will do his best.



“Egyptians are tired of the economic and security downturn and hope to see things turn better very quickly.



“People’s dreams are very simple; all they want is a good life. I hope that Al-Sisi will provide Egyptians with democracy, justice and freedom.”



Awady said Egyptians’ main concern at the moment is to restore security and reactivate the economy and tourism.



“People in Egypt should understand that it takes time and effort to improve our country and we need to work hard and to be patient,” she said.