Sisi to give up half his salary and properties 'for Egypt'

In a speech given at a graduation ceremony at the Military College, Egypt's President AbdelFattah ElSisi announced that he will give up half his salary and properties 'for Egypt', after referring to the country's economic hardships and touching upon the budget deficit.

Currently, the president's salary lies at EGP42,000 a month, which is considered the maximum wage in Egypt. "We need real sacrifices. Nobody will take one cent more than EGP42,000," he stated.

"I want to fulfill your demands, but I cannot and the government cannot. We all cannot respond to factional demands today," Sisi said, in reference to Egypt's economic situation.

He added that Egypt was able to overcome its economic problems in the past months thanks to the support of its Arab brothers, and that it was time to consider the coming generations. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar had been providing Egypt with aid in various forms, ever since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

Sisi also mentioned that he would not interfere in the judiciary power of the state, even if the judiciary "decisions upset some people". The comment comes one day after three AlJazeera journalists were sentenced to seven years in jail - a move that caused uproar in local and international media. BBC and AlJazeera headquarters organized one-minute silent protests this morning, carrying banners that read "Journalism is not a crime".