After slow, steady build up, Sisi finally announces intention to run for reelection

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi finally made things official on Monday, announcing he will stand for a third presidential term. 

For weeks the president has held press conferences around the country reviewing a set of achievements made during nearly a decade of his government — steps resembling an election campaign in all but name.

The announcement came at the end of a multi-day, highly publicized conference titled Hekayet Watan (Story of a Nation) that exhibited “more than nine years of achievements” under Sisi.

While Sisi teased the announcement for months, there was little doubt that he plans to see his presidency last until 2030. The president secured nearly 100 percent of the vote in the 2014 and 2018 presidential elections and pushed through constitutional amendments in 2019 that would allow him to stay in office beyond the earlier two-term limit.

Crowds gathered in the streets and public squares in different governorates across the country in the lead-up to the announcement, with political parties announcing Sunday that they would hold public demonstrations in support of Sisi to contend the presidential race, while a set of “early celebrations” for the 50th anniversary of the October 6 war were organized by Nation’s Future Party and other parties close to the state, with live music and public shows held in key sites in Cairo and Alexandria as well as other major cities.

Speaking to a gathering of top state figures at the televised closing presser of Hekayet Watan, Sisi took to the podium with a written speech in a departure from his signature televised improvisations.

He opened with customary talking points about his presidency, noting that he delivered the country from “the group of darkness and treachery,” in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood government which was overthrown in a 2013 coup, and about “the responsibility the Egyptians” confided in him by making him president in the 2014 elections.

“I didn't have anything except faith in God and in Egypt, along with the Egyptian military honor. And it’s enough for me. I faced with you all the crises and challenges,” he said.

Before making the announcement, Sisi also called on the audience to pray with him. “Before I say this paragraph, let’s pray that If someone else other than me is better for the job, stand with him, and if I am the best for the job, stand by me and make it easy,” the president said. “God, I hope I’m the one fit for it,” he added.

Ending a playfully suspenseful pause, interrupted by loud interjections of thank you and other praise from audience members, Sisi finally announced his intention to run for a third term. Addressing the public, he said “I respond to your call again and intend to run for another term as president, I promise it’s a continuation of our shared struggle.”

Sisi also urged all Egyptians eligible to vote to participate in the “democratic scene” of the presidential elections, whether they plan to vote for him or someone else. “I want you to show the world that there is a will of the people, whatever the result, it would honor us and our country. It’s the people’s will that chooses the ruler,” he stressed.

He also promised that “this election is the start of a new political life, that will see pluralism without trading offense or insults.”

Shortly after the announcement, Sisi’s official campaign page announced the appointment of Mahmoud Fawzy as the president’s campaign manager and legal representative. Fawzy, who chaired   the technical secretariat of the National Dialogue over the past six months, announced his resignation earlier on Monday from his high-ranking post as vice president of the State Council to take on “a new mission.”

Sisi’s bid for nomination to the 2023 presidential race pits him against opposition candidate Ahmed Tantawi, who announced his intention to run in April and whose supporters have rallied across the country alongside Sisi supporters to submit nomination forms at official collection sites for their chosen candidate. Many of Tantawi’s supporters have faced harassment or obstruction at the notary offices, while scores of volunteers working for his campaign have been arrested. 

To qualify for the December ballot, would-be candidates must collect 25,000 nomination forms from members of the public, or a minimum of 22 nominations from sitting members of Parliament.

Tantawi is not alone in hoping to put an opposition name on the ballot paper, with Social Democratic Party head Farid Zahran and head of the liberal Dostor Party Gameela Ismail also announcing their intention to run.

Since the National Elections Authority started accepting candidate applications on September 25, only three hopefuls have met the nomination threshold, including Social Democratic Party head Farid Zahran. Wafd Party head Abdel Sanad Yamama and Republican People’s Party head Hazem Omar — hopeful candidates who have praised Sisi even as they announce their intention to run — have also met the threshold. Candidate nominations are being accepted until October 14.