Egypt’s electoral commission has ended registration process for next month’s presidential election, leaving the race between former military chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Sisi and leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahy, a media report said on Monday.
The first round of the election is slated for May 26 and 27, with Gen. Sisi widely expected to win easily after the military ouster of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last July, Xinhua reported.
According to the Presidential Electoral Commission, Gen. Sisi has collected 188,930 signatures and Mr. Sabahy 31,555.
Egyptian election law requires candidates to collect at least 25,000 signatures from at least 15 provinces to endorse their candidacy.
Each candidate will appeal against each other on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the commission will announce the official list of candidates on May 2.
The election campaign will start on May 3.
Gen. Sisi enjoys huge popularity since he toppled Morsy in response to the mass protests against his year-long turbulent rule.
However, Mr. Morsy’s Muslim Brotherhood loyalists launched nation-wide protests against Gen. Sissi’s military coup.
