Egyptian whistleblower Mohamed Ali on Wednesday announced his plans to launch a new opposition movement dedicated to saving the Egyptian economy and pressuring President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to step down, reported The Guardian.
Ali, who is living in self-imposed exile in Spain, came in the limelight when in September he posted a series of Facebook videos revealing the scale of corruption in the country based on his personal knowledge as a businessman. In the videos, he accused President el-Sisi and his aides of squandering millions of dollars on vanity projects despite rising poverty. The president denied the accusations as “false” and a “conspiracy”.
The videos evoked mass street protests across Egypt. Over 350 people were arrested across the country in the latest wave of demonstrations. But the protest movement died down following widespread arrests and state repression.
Speaking at a press conference in London on Wednesday, Ali said he is working on drafting an alternative plan to save the country’s collapsing economy, as well as form a new government structure. He added that Egyptians both inside and outside of the country would be able to vote in an online referendum on the proposal, which he said he plans to unveil within the next two months.
“I have united a large group of Egypt’s civil society, as well as the opposition. We’re currently working on a plan to fix Egypt’s problems, which we will unveil for everyone to see very soon,” Ali said.
He said he is in talks with political dissidents who believe Sisi did not plan to stand aside until 2030. He stressed that he saw his role as a co-ordinator rather than a leader of a new political movement.
Ali also called for the immediate release of Radwa Mohammed who was incarcerated after releasing more videos exposing corruption by the Sisi regime.
