Egypt’s army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said Wednesday he had quit the military to run for president, in a widely anticipated move almost nine months after he toppled the elected leader, Mohammed Morsi.
Sissi, who was also defense minister, faces no serious competition in the upcoming election, likely before June, and is expected to easily win the poll riding on a wave of popularity.
He declared his candidacy in a televised address.
“Today, I stand before you for the last time in a military uniform, after deciding to end my service as defense minister and commander of the armed forces,” he said, dressed in his field marshal’s uniform, sitting behind a wooden desk.
“With all modesty, I nominate myself for the presidency of Egypt.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
“I will continue to fight every day for an Egypt free of terrorism,” he added.
Sissi gathered his belongings in his defense ministry office before starting the meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the official newspaper Al-Ahram reported on its website.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
