International
Maxim Shemetov/AFP/Getty Images
Egypt's defense minister and interim leader, Abdel Fattah El Sisi, met with the country’s military council on Wednesday before announcing in a televised statement that he had resigned from the military and intends to run for president.
Sisi, 59, had to step down in order to stand for elections. He enjoys widespread popularity for leading last year’s military ouster of President Mohamed Morsi and is expected to win.
However, Sisi is reviled by Egypt’s Islamist opposition, which sees him as the mastermind of a coup against a democratically elected leader and the author of a violent crackdown on dissent.
Authorities in Egypt have yet to set a date for the presidential election. Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who came in third in the 2012 election, had been the only candidate to state his intention to run.
Gen. Sedki Sobhi, who holds the post of chief of staff, is expected to replace Sisi as defense minister.
Wire services
Three years out from the revolution that toppled dictator Mubarak, the country is set to elect another strongman
The general who deposed elected President Mohamed Morsi is widely viewed as a potentially stabilizing force
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