The opposition to Sisi's government is widespread, with many Egyptians accusing his government of presiding over the country’s worst human rights crisis and economic crisis in decades”.
Electricity and fuel prices have risen sharply recently, with Sisi's government cutting subsidies to fuel and electricity -- a move which will affect disproportionately the working class and those on low incomes.
The sharp rise in electricity and fuel prices has generated further discontent among Egypt’s poorest, already struggling to cope with the price hikes of Sisi’s first term in office. But analysts say the government’s increasingly draconian tactics prevent many from expressing their discontent.
This is why many have taken to social media sites recently, such as Tweeter. About 70000 Tweets have been published in various social media sites, virtually all of them calling for Sisi to step down, and criticizing his economic policies.
Ahead of the recent price hikes, Egyptian authorities arrested several critics, including a well-known blogger and a socialist activist. The arrests, which came after el-Sissi's re-election in a March vote in which he faced no serious challengers, are part of a wider crackdown on dissent since Morsi's overthrow amid mass protests against his yearlong rule. Thousands of people have been jailed, including several prominent secular activists who defied the protest ban.
