In the third season of the popular Egyptian TV show Al Ekhteyar (Arabic: The Choice), viewers have heavily reacted to scenes that featured a portrayal of the current president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi amid his rise to power in 2013.
The show of which a new season airs every Ramadan highlights the different political changes that took place in Egypt during the early 2010s, particularly the Arab Spring revolution, the 2012 elections, and the Muslim Brotherhood's rise to power, in addition to the years-long armed conflict between the Egyptian army and extremist groups in the Sinai Peninsula, namely the ISIS terrorist group.
For the first time El Ekhteyar part 3 reveals that Mohamed Morsi regime appointed Abdel Fattah el Sisi in 2012 as minister of defense only because they thought he will be loyal to Muslim Brotherhood.#Egypt #ElEkhteyar | #السيسي #الاختيار #الاختيار3 #مصر #رمضان #ياسر_جلال pic.twitter.com/jBuHknDUvi
— Egypt Today Magazine (@EgyptTodayMag) April 2, 2022
In its third season, the show that features many of Egypt's leading actors sheds light on the events leading to the 2013 military grasp of power by Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who was then assigned as Minister of Defense by the Muslim Brotherhood government.
The first episode of the third season particularly portrays Abdel Fattah El-Sisi amid his decision to sack then-President Mohamed Morsi in response to mass protests that spread across Egypt in June 2013.
#الاختيار_٣#egyptiangoose
Propaganda still reminiscing on a 10 years old events. ?#مصر pic.twitter.com/4V1UJCifWn— AMERICAN COP (@cop_american) March 30, 2022
Scenes showed Egyptian actor Yasser Galal playing Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for the first time in a Drama show, which stirred mixed reactions amongst online commentators.
While many pro-Sisi commentators praised the actor for what they thought was an accurate impersonation of the Egyptian President, hailing the latter as the hero who "rescued the country from the dark times," others accused the show produced by UMS – United Media Services, largely believed to be affiliated with the Egyptian military establishment, of whitewashing human rights violations committed by Abdel Fattah El-Sisi since 2013.
رفض السقا بسبب قصر قامته..
— شبكة رصد (@RassdNewsN) April 2, 2022
لماذا فضل السيسي اختيار ياسر جلال لأداء دوره في مسلسل الاختيار؟ pic.twitter.com/SyDALRIzEF
Translation: "He refused Ahmed El Sakka for his height. Why did Sisi prefer Yasser Galal to portray him in Al Ekhteyar 3?"
Some other viewers noticed a striking difference in height between Yasser Galal and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is said to have chosen the actor portraying him personally. Online people suggested that El-Sisi has opted for a taller actor to compensate for what they speculated is "insecurity about height."
