Sisi free to run for president: Egypt army council

CAIRO

Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Monday voiced its "respect" for "popular demands" for a presidential bid by army chief and defense minister Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

"The council respects demands by large segments of the great Egyptian people for al-Sisi to run for president," SCAF said in a statement read out on national television.

It described the people's "confidence" in the top general as "a call that should be answered."

"The council has decided that al-Sisi has the right to respond [to calls to run for president] in accordance with his national conscience and to shoulder the responsibility of the duty he has been called upon to undertake," the SCAF asserted.

The statement added that al-Sisi had thanked the army's rank and file for understanding the situation and "his right to respond to the call of duty and the needs of the country."

Earlier Monday, interim President Adly Mansour issued a presidential decree promoting al-Sisi to field marshal, the highest rank in Egypt's military hierarchy.

The promotion came amid widespread speculation that al-Sisi plans to step down as defense minister in advance of announcing his candidacy for president.

Egyptian presidential elections will be held in April before parliamentary polls, based on an earlier decision by the interim president.

A transitional roadmap, imposed by the army in the immediate wake of last July's ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, had initially stipulated that parliamentary polls be held before presidential elections, following the endorsement of a new constitution.

Egypt's new constitution, however, which was approved earlier this month, gave the interim president the right to modify the roadmap.

Born in 1954, al-Sisi graduated from Egypt's Military College in 1997. He served as a paratrooper in the army before being promoted to commander of Egypt's Northern Military Zone.

Al-Sisi had also served as Military Intelligence chief during the January 25 uprising, which unseated autocratic president Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

The top general currently heads up the SCAF, which ran the country's affairs from Mubarak's departure until Morsi – Egypt's first freely elected leader – assumed the presidency in mid-2012.

Shortly after taking office, Morsi appointed al-Sisi as defense minister. One year later, however, the army chief removed Morsi from office following mass protests against his presidency.

englishnews@aa.com.tr