Muhammad Mansour
Egypt's military chief, Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has hinted on Tuesday that he will be a runner in upcoming presidential elections expected in April.
“I cannot turn my back when the majority wants me to run for president,” Sisi said in a speech at an officers' graduation ceremony Tuesday and reported by state-run MENA news agency.
“Let the coming days see the official procedures,” Sisi said according to MENA.
Sisi called on people to work together as “nobody can work alone for the country’s advancement in such circumstances.”
The exact date for the presidential elections will be announced after the law governing the vote is issued, and he is likely holding off on an announcement of his candidacy until such measures are taken.
During his visit to Russia on February 13, Putin told Sisi that he fully backed Egypt's new constitution and crucially made no mention of Cairo's crackdown on protests or the army-backed overthrow in July of Islamist president Mohamed Morsy.
He did, however, seem to spill the beans over Sisi's candidacy. “I know that you, mister defense minister, have decided to run for president of Egypt,” Putin told Sisi in televised remarks. “I wish you luck both from myself personally and from the Russian people.”
Interim President Adly Mansour announced on 26 January 2014 that the presidential election will be held before the parliamentary elections.
The army chief overthrew the first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsy on 3 July after nationwide protests called for an end to Muslim Brotherhood rule.
Heavy-handed crackdown on Morsy supporters following Morsy's ouster was met with series of armed attacks targeting military and police personnel by Sinai-based terrorists.
Due the political turmoil and cat-and-mouse game between the security forces and terrorists, the already fledging economy worsened and was followed by the cabinet resignation on 24 February after the remarkable rise in worker strikes in many sectors.
Hamdeen Sabbahi, a former presidential candidate in the 2012 presidential election, officially announced his presidential bid on 8 February 2014, but Sisi is still the strongest potential runner for his massive popularity, let alone, the military support after okaying his entrance the presidential race.
Besides Sabbahi, the only other candidate running for presidency is former army general Sami Anan, whom Morsy sent to retirement in 2012.