Preaching austerity, Egypt president rolls out 4-km-long red carpet

Many Egyptians took exception to this display of extravagance; especially as the homes were being made for the poor

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi certainly believes in making a grand entrance. Even if it is to open homes for the poor.

The Egyptian presidential motorcade drove over a four-kilometre-long red carpet, which is estimated to have cost over $200,000, as he was on his way to commission homes in a suburb in Cairo.



Many Egyptians took exception to this display of extravagance; especially since the homes were being commissioned for the city’s poorest.

According to the UN, a quarter of Egypt’s population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment rates are also on the rise, up to 34% among young people who constitute two thirds of the total population.

Meanwhile, Egyptian military spokesperson Brigadier General Ehab el-Ahwagy told several talk shows that the Sisi administration did not actually buy the carpet and that it had been in use for the past three years, according to Buzzfeed.



“It gives a kind of joy and assurance to the Egyptian citizen that our people and our land and our armed forces are always capable of organising anything in a proper manner,” el-Ahwagy told prominent TV talk show host Amr Adeeb, the AP reported.

Watch the video here:



This article originally appeared on Quartz