India’s grand Republic Day Parade 2023 will welcome Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi as this year’s chief guest. The Egyptian super will arrive in New Delhi on January 24 to attend Republic Day festivities and will also hold defence and diplomacy-related dialogues to strengthen the India-Egypt relationship.
For the unversed, Sisi will be the first Egyptian and the fifth West Asian leader to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 and inviting him to the event is seen as India’s major bilateral move to reset defence ties with Egypt to find an entry into the African and European market.
Apart from Sisi, a 180-member strong contingent from Egypt will also participate in the parade and a series of agreements are expected to be signed between the two countries.
Who is Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi?
Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, the President of Egypt, will be India’s Chief Guest this Republic Day. A former General and Commander in the Egyptian Armed Forces, Sisi rose to prominence and gained power when the Middle East was witnessing one of its most turbulent times- the years of Arab Spring, a series of anti-government and pro-democracy protests to throw the authoritarian rulers out of power.
In the aftermath of the massive row, longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak was brought down to make way for another leader. Mubarak’s downfall led to the rise of al-Sisi who surpassed more senior officers in the Egyptian military and become Commander-in-Chief and Minister for Defence.In 2013, he played a crucial role in bringing down the hapless administration of Mohammed Morsi and then formally took charge as President in 2014.
Sisi, who is the sixth President of Egypt served as Egypt’s deputy prime minister from 2013 to 2014, as its minister of defence from 2012 to 2013, and as its director of military intelligence from 2010 to 2012.
As Egypt’s defence minister and later the commander-in-chief, Sisi was a part of the military operation that removed then-sitting President Morsi from his position. Morsi was replaced by an interim president, Adly Mansour, who appointed a new cabinet.
In the wake of the Arab Spring movement, Sisi, who enjoyed popular support back in Egypt, was pushed by his supporters to run for the presidency and announce a retirement from his military career. The General elections were then held in May 2014 with just one opponent, Hamdeen Sabahi resulted in Sisi winning in a landslide victory with 97% of the vote.
