Another final decision by Sisi

London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat ran another un-sourced story regarding the future of Egypt’s presidency, this time saying that Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made a “final decision to enter the presidential elections.”

Sisi spoke Tuesday at a Martyrs' Day seminar for veterans and their families, but did not announce his candidacy. In the past the army commander has used military addresses as a platform to speak to the country as a whole, in what seem like stump speeches in the absence of an official candidacy announcement.

It is not clear why Sisi has not officially announced his candidacy and taken the legal steps necessary to run as president. Speeches like Tuesday's look like the defense minister's backers could be out of a campaign strategy. They drum up a nationalistic base using patriotic language and underline the role of the military in serving Egypt, especially under Sisi’s leadership.

“Martyrs' Day is a tribute to the ideals and values that are the foundation of the Egyptian military, and coincides this year with the Armed Forces and police's efforts to dry up the sources of terrorism,” Sisi said at the seminar.

Perennial reports of his “final decision” to seek Egypt's top office are sometimes unattributed or relayed by top figures immediately after meeting with the field marshal.

Although Sisi has not yet announced a bid, his every move and, at times, every action by the state, is interpreted by analysts as a preparation for his candidacy. These rumors usually end up being denied, such as when Sisi was promoted to the head of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. Other times, the moves seem with hindsight incoherent with preparations to run, like when a recent Cabinet reshuffle kept Sisi in his position as defense minister.

The latest piece of news in this narrative is the announcement of a US$40-billion contract for new housing units to be constructed on army land by an Emirati firm, Arabtec. Sisi, as defense minister, took the lead in announcing it, rather than the new housing minister or former Housing Minister Ibrahim Mehleb, who now heads the government.