Sisi puts military house in order before leaving

Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is preparing to resign from his military post in order to announce his candidacy for the presidential elections within days, several local papers reported on Tuesday. 

The London-based, pan-Arab Al-Hayat reported that Sisi, who was recently granted the title of field marshal, is currently busy putting the military house in order ahead of his departure. Members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, a 17-person council of military commanders, will choose Sisi's successor as chief commander and minister of defense, according to the paper. 

Privately owned Al-Masry Al-Youm confirmed that SCAF will convene within days to discuss Sisi’s candidacy with him. The paper estimated Sisi's announcement to come around mid-February. 

Al-Hayat also reported that, in his electoral campaign, Sisi is being assisted by a group of experts, some of whom are former officers with experience in politics, others being former bureaucrats and state officials. Names mentioned by the newspaper include former governor of Luxor and head of the Opera House, Samir Farag, who also happens to be a military general, as well as former Deputy Minister of Defense for Financial and Administrative Issues, Mahmoud Nasr. 

Other people named as members of Sisi's electoral team and advisors on social issues include Mohamed al-Erian, who is reportedly looking into the economic platform of Egypt's presidential hopeful, and Essam Heggy, an engineer of educational reform.  

A presidential elections law is due to be finalized by the government within days, following which candidates will start announcing their participation in the contest officially.

Sisi's potential candidacy became more probable following an announcement by SCAF last week, declaring its support for their chief commander to choose a political path by running for president.