Egyptian leader turning to ‘pedal power’ to interact with public

Egyptian leader turning to ‘pedal power’ to interact with public
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi takes part in a cycling marathon organized by the Ministry of Youth in Cairo. (Filre/AFP)
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Updated 24 July 2021
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Egyptian leader turning to ‘pedal power’ to interact with public

Egyptian leader turning to ‘pedal power’ to interact with public
  • El-Sisi's public cycling tours have become a tradition, beginning in 2014 during his bid for presidency
  • Three videos of the leader riding and talking to citizens have gone viral online in the past few days

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has caught the public’s attention after being filmed cycling around various locations during the Eid holiday.
Three videos of the leader riding and talking to citizens have gone viral online in the past few days.
His public cycling tours have become a tradition, beginning in 2014 during his bid for presidency.
During his latest tour, he met an Egyptian family to learn about their quality of life and listen to their demands.
While cycling on Friday in New Alamein, El-Sisi also talked to one of the military security officers accompanying him, a man named Ayman from Menoufia Governorate. El-Sisi asked him about his job, which he maintained while studying.
“Do you need anything, Ayman? I’m like your father, no need to be shy,” the president told him.
Ayman, who also runs a library from a rented property, replied that he wanted a job after completing his military service, and would like to rent a large store on a main street in order to increase his revenue.
El-Sisi then offered to personally buy him a commercial property of his choice.
During the 2016 Eid Al-Fitr holiday, the president toured the Maamoura area in Alexandria wearing a sports outfit, and in the same year, took part in a sports day that included a cycling marathon.
The leader also attended a cycling marathon in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement, in which he accompanied students of the local police academy.
And during the second edition of the World Youth Forum in 2018, El-Sisi was spotted cycling around Sharm El-Sheikh at dawn.