Boycott the General’s Renewal… Boycott the Presidential Elections

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

The battle over these mock elections has kicked up a lot of dust, with the counter-revolutionary authorities failing miserably to stage them as they intended. From the state of emergency, they are overshadowing the election atmosphere, to the imaginary competition that couldn’t even keep up appearances, to the crackdown and arrest of anyone daring to call for a boycott of this charade.
These sham elections are just another chapter in Sisi’s rule, which has relied on, since the military coup in the summer of 2013, on imposing his control through security repression under the guise of combating terrorism and preserving the state—his repressive capitalist state that arrests, kidnaps, and kills any voice of dissent, liquidates factories, and sells land to Saudi Arabia.

His state snuffs out any potential opposition, even from within its ranks (Sami Anan and Shafiq), and is built on empty promises of security and safety while delivering nothing but worsening living conditions, skyrocketing prices, declining wages, and the collapse of healthcare and education for millions of people experiencing poverty and working-class.

Now, as the time comes to renew Sisi’s mandate, no alternatives are left. The General has also ensured his dominance over the media and public opinion, wiping out any potential challengers—whether by killing, imprisoning, or intimidating them. His entire project is founded on fear and repression, and his grip on power is impossible to maintain in any democratic environment.
So, what is to be done under these circumstances?

The answer isn’t easy, but it’s necessary. Every space for public engagement—political, social, or even charitable—is closed off; every battle becomes vital, no matter how small, whether it’s to open up space in the public sphere or just to keep the voice of resistance alive, no matter how faint.
Every struggle within professional and labor unions, federations, associations, and groups, and every effort to organize on a democratic basis to defend collective interests, is a struggle to open up the public sphere and create a chance for resistance, no matter how small.

Today, all those fighting for change must seize every possible space for public engagement, whether in unions, universities, or neighborhoods. No matter how harsh, the current situation can’t last forever, and opening spaces for democratic and social struggle is now the most crucial path to changing it.
Boycott the General’s renewal, boycott the presidential elections, and let’s struggle to reclaim new ground.