Eurasia Press & News
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the Egyptian military chief who last summer removed the elected Islamist president, has announced that he will run for president in elections expected next month.
Wearing his military fatigues in a nationally-televised speech, Mr. el-Sissi announced late on Wednesday he was resigning from the armed forces — a required step since only civilians can run for president. He declared that it was the last time he would wear his uniform because he was stepping down to run president and continue to defend the country. He said he was “answering the demand of a wide range of Egyptians.”
The 59-year-old el-Sissi is widely expected to win the vote, and restore a tradition of presidents from military background that Egypt had for all but one year since 1952. He has been the country’s most powerful figure since removing President Mohamed Morsy, and Mr. Morsy’s once politically-dominant Muslim Brotherhood has since been declared a terrorist group.
