Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have held their first campaign rally in Cairo since he announced he was running for president.<br /><br />The favourite to become the country’s next political leader missed the event himself, it’s thought for security reasons following threats from the Muslim Brotherhood.<br /><br />Al-Sisi has said the organisation would cease to exist should he become president.<br /><br />“We were afraid of ending up with the same situation as Syria and Iraq, this is why we support General al-Sisi. It’s also because we suffer from hunger and poverty. People are tired of it,” said one male supporter at the rally.<br /><br />“He stands with the June 30 revolution, he rescued the country, after it had collapsed and suffered from terrorism. He is the one who will bring us hope again,” a woman added.<br /><br />The rally came as 200 suspected Islamist militants were charged with involvement with a “terrorist organisation” and launching attacks across the country.<br /><br />Reporting from the gathering, Euronews correspondent Mohammed Shaikhibrahim said: <br />“There are many challenges facing the next president of Egypt. The most significant are, firstly, facing up to the impact of two overthrown regimes, which is a political issue that’s proving hard to settle. On the other hand, how to satisfy a population whose first concern is achieving security and economic stability.”
