Presidential frontrunner Amr Moussa has intensified his electoral campaign in Upper Egypt, which seems to be one of his major areas of support. He visited Assiut on Monday after one day in Sohag and another in Qena.
In Sohag, he was welcomed on Sunday by thousands of supporters who kept chanting, “The people want Amr Moussa as president,” Mohamed al-Sayed, a resident of Jeheena, where Moussa organized his rally, told Egypt Independent.
Sayed said that Moussa enjoys huge popularity since people think he is a strong man that could save Egypt from chaos.
In the latest opinion poll conducted by Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, Moussa topped the other presidential candidates, receiving 41.1 percent. Moderate former Muslim Brotherhood member Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh came in second with 27.3 percent.
The poll showed that Moussa enjoys unchallenged support in Upper Egypt's three main governorates: Assiut, Qena and Sohag.
On Sunday, Moussa addressed the people of Sohag, describing himself as a candidate with a patriotic background whose decisions are not influenced by anyone inside or outside of Egypt, MENA news agency reported on Monday.
State-run news service MENA quoted him as saying that he would be a constitutional president if elected.
Moussa highlighted the role of the youth during the upcoming period. “The president should encourage the youth to be represented in senior ranks within the president’s office and lead projects so they would learn how to govern and lead Egypt by 2016.”
“It is imperative to be careful to choose a president who is capable of surpassing the current crisis in light of what the country has been through,” MENA reported Moussa as saying. “As a citizen, I want to get Egypt out of this crisis.”
Moussa also cautioned those who are hampering the revolution’s path and using it for their own electoral interests.
He prioritized the development of Upper Egypt. “It will not be marginalized anymore,” he said.
On Saturday, Moussa was warmly welcomed in Qena, visiting three areas in the governorate. He promised his supporters he would put Upper Egypt at the heart of his political agenda once he is elected president.
However, Moussa received a hostile welcome in Assiut on Monday from activists belonging to the April 6 Youth Movement and other revolutionary forces, according to Al-Masry Al-Youm.
He was scheduled to give a speech at the University of Assiut but his address was cancelled after squabbles broke out between his supporters and those who oppose him.
