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Africa North | |
Egypt military leaders endorse al-Sissi for president | |
2014-01-28 | |
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Members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had met for several hours to discuss al-Sissi's possible bid for presidency. Their decision comes after tens of thousands gathered in central Cairo, on the third anniversary of the 2011 revolt that ousted Hosny Mubarak, to pressure al-Sissi to run for the post. Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour announced earlier Monday that he had promoted al-Sissi to the rank of Field Marshall. Al-Sissi, who announced the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July, earlier this month gave his clearest indication of where he sees his political future. "If I nominate myself, this should come after demands from the people and a mandate from the army," he said at a military ceremony in Cairo. He is expected to sweep the vote, as he is the country most popular leader since Morsi's ouster. Pro-army groups have launched a series of campaigns in recent months, collecting petitions for al-Sissi to run in this year's expected presidential election. Egypt will hold presidential elections before parliamentary polls. No specific dates have been announced yet. | |
Posted by:Steve White |