Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s decision to run for a third term in office came in response to the “call of Egyptians in the streets throughout the republic,” his campaign managers said on Wednesday.
El-Sisi confirmed on Monday that he will seek a third term in office in elections due to be held in December, with his election team promising to outline a consensus vision involving all political parties “as a continuation of the democratic process.”
“Just as I responded to the call of the Egyptians before, today I respond to their call again,” he said in the closing speech for a three-day event that promoted policies under his rule at a new capital being built outside Cairo.
“We are on the cusp of our new republic, which seeks to complete the process of the state’s survival and rebuild it on the foundations of modernity and democracy.”
El-Sisi’s campaign managers said that a consensus vision will be prepared for the next stage, entitled “We will complete the dream.”
The vision will involve all supporting parties and experts in various fields, they said.
El-Sisi hopes that Egyptians will set a good example and “show the world the size of their participation in the presidential elections,” a statement from his campaign office said.
Details and procedures would be announced shortly, it added.
Earlier, the Egyptian leader reiterated that he would continue to work “for the benefit of the nation.”
He said: “I promise you that this term will be an extension of our joint efforts for the sake of Egypt and its people.”
Mahmoud Fawzi, secretary-general of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, has been chosen by El-Sisi to lead his election campaign.
As of Thursday, the National Elections Authority will begin receiving applications for the 2024 presidential elections for a period of 10 days at the authority’s headquarters in central Cairo.
The Homat Watan, or Protectors of the Nation party, said that El-Sisi’s candidacy “is a message of reassurance to complete the development and construction process that began in the country since he assumed power.”
The pro-government Mostaqbal Watan, or Nation’s Future party, renewed its pledge to support El-Sisi.
In August, several other parties extended support to El-Sisi’s candidacy.
Source: Arab News