Egypt. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Running In Next Presidential Election

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who has led Egypt since 2014, announced that he will “participate in the next presidential elections,” scheduled for December 10 to 12, 2023. El-Sisi is 68 years old and currently in his second term. According to Egyptian and international analysts, el-Sisi’s decision was expected, even though the president has never publicly announced his intention to run for a third term.

In a live broadcast on state television, el-Sisi said that with this decision “he responded to the calls of Egyptians” who “flooded into the streets and squares” of the republic asking him to run in the presidential elections to be held on December 10. El-Sisi called on all Egyptians to come to the polls, even if they do not vote for him, in order to create a good image in the world. “Go to the polls and vote for whoever you want, and I will be happy with the results, I swear,” el-Sisi said.

The law allows el-Sisi to run for a third term, and winning the election would allow him to remain president until 2030, as stipulated by a constitutional amendment approved in 2019 in a popular referendum. The national election authority said it expects the results of the first round to be announced by December 23. The second round of elections in Egypt seems unlikely, but if it happens, it will take place before January 16, 2024.

While the West accuses him of turning Egypt into an authoritarian state, in recent years, el-Sisi has significantly improved relations with Turkey, China, and some countries in the so-called Global South. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, along with five other countries – Saudi Arabia, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, and Iran – will join the BRICS group, which currently includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.