CAIRO: Egypt will hold a presidential vote on December 10-12, election officials said on Monday.
President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, a former army chief in power for nearly a decade, has yet to formally announce his candidacy, but state-aligned media has already published messages of support from pro-government entities.
Sisi, 68, was first elected in 2014, the year after he led the ouster of president Mohamed Mursi, and then won a 2018 vote in a landslide against one of his own supporters.
Only two other candidates have so far declared their intention to run this time, including opposition politician Ahmed al Tantawi.
The election had initially been expected in the spring of 2024.
Some experts have said it was moved forward to schedule it ahead of a possible switch to a flexible exchange rate that could exacerbate social tensions in the country of 105 million.
The vote will be held “on December 10, 11 and 12,” said National Election Authority chairman Judge Walid Hassan Hamza.
Hopefuls can apply from October, with the candidate list to be finalised by November 9. The campaign period runs until November 29 and the
winner will be announced on December 18. — AFP
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