August 28, 2023. Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Cairo.
The Egyptian Parties Alliance, a grouping of 40
political parties, has endorsed President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi for a new term
in the event he decides to run in the 2024 presidential elections.
"This endorsement aims to fulfil the aspirations and ambitions of the Egyptian people and to continue the path of development and progress," the alliance said in a statement after representatives from its members met in a conference on Monday.
"In spite of the challenges and adversities confronted by the Egyptian
state, Egypt under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has
achieved security, stability, and modernization," the statement stressed.
The alliance also commended the strides in development spearheaded by
President El-Sisi across various domains in the past years.
"The president has consistently steered this developmental
transformation with unwavering resolve," noted the statement.
The Egyptian Parties Alliance comprises the Sadat Democratic Party, the
Nasserist Party, the Shabab Misr Party, the Arab Socialist Party, the Free
Constitutional Party, and the Tahrir Party.
On Wednesday, Mostaqabal Watan Party, the country's parliamentary majority
party, announced its endorsement of El-Sisi in the event he
decides to run for office again in the upcoming elections, which is
expected to be held sometime in early 2024.
The president has yet to make any official announcement indicating whether
he will be running in the upcoming race or not.
Who's in?
Four well-known political figures have announced their intention to
run in the 2024 contest so far.
These are Abdel-Sanad Yamama, the leader of the Wafd Party; Fouad
Badrawi, a former MP for the Wafd Party; Hazem Omar, the head of the People's
Republican Party (PRP); Ahmed El-Fadaly, the chairman of the Democratic Peace
Party (DPP); and Ahmed Tantawi, a former MP and also the former head of the
Karama Party.
Electoral mechanisms
The National Election Authority (NEA), which oversees the country's
electoral process, is expected to announce a finalized timetable for
the upcoming presidential election soon.
Article 140 of the Constitution stipulates that the process of electing a
new president must commence at least 120 days prior to the conclusion of a
current presidential term.
Accordingly, the door for submitting candidacies by anyone seeking
elections to the highest executive office in the country must open no later
than 1 December 2023.
In 2014, El-Sisi was first elected in a landslide to lead the country for a
four-year term.
In 2018, he was re-elected as president for a second four-year term in
another landslide.
However, in 2019, an amendment to the constitution, which was
overwhelmingly approved by the electorate in a popular referendum, changed a
presidential term to six years thus allowing El-Sisi to stay in office till
2024.
ahram
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