Egypt’s Army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on Tuesday said that he would take official steps to run for the country’s presidency in “the coming days”, state television reported.
The broadcaster said that he told cadets at a military ceremony: “I cannot turn my back when I find that the majority of the people want me to be a candidate in the forthcoming presidential elections.” “The official steps are left for the coming days,” al-Sissi reportedly added.
The strongest indication yet that al-Sissi plans to run for president came as a state judicial body was due to give Interim President Adly Mansour a final draft of the election law.
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Leftist leader Hamdeen Sabahy, who came third in the 2012 presidential race won by deposed President Mohamed Morsy, is the only other major figure to have declared his candidacy.