Egypt’s Sisi submits bid to run for president

Egypt’s former defense minister, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, has officially submitted his bid to run for president, with his lawyer handing over the required documents to the authorities.

“Lawyer Abu Shoqa submitted the required documents on behalf of Sisi that include endorsements by citizens, medical reports, and an application for his candidacy,” media outlets quoted Ahmed Kamel, a Sisi’s spokesman, as saying.

Sisi, the ex-army chief had declared his intention to run for president in late March.

The Egypt’s electoral commission is set to announce the final field of candidates on May 2.

Egypt’s political parties and figures have repeatedly called on the country’s army to stay out of politics.

State institutions and media are all geared toward Sisi’s candidacy, a situation which undermines the chances of a fair competition for any other candidate.

Sisi’s victory would place Egypt’s presidency back in the hands of a top military official just three years after Egyptians rose up against former dictator, Hosni Mubarak, an air force officer who ruled Egypt for nearly three decades.

Anti-government demonstrators have been holding rallies almost on a daily basis since the army toppled Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically-elected president. The demonstrators demand that Morsi be reinstated.

Egypt’s military-backed rulers have tightened security laws, targeting supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Rights groups say 1,400 people have been killed in the violence since Morsi’s ouster in July last year, “most of them due to excessive force used by security forces.”