Egypt's al-Sisi registers candidacy for upcoming polls

By Mostafa Eid

CAIRO (AA) - Incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday formally lodged a candidacy request with Egypt’s official electoral commission with a view to running for a second term in office.

Al-Sisi’s candidacy application was delivered to the electoral commission by Mohamed Abu Shuqa, a lawyer for the president’s electoral campaign.

The move comes one day after al-Sisi underwent a medical checkup -- a prerequisite for contesting the polls.

Last week, al-Sisi formally announced his intention to seek re-election in polls set to take place from March 26 to 28.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian military detained Gen. Sami Anan -- a former army chief-of-staff and would-be presidential contender -- for questioning.

In a televised statement, the army accused Anan of committing several "irregularities" after the ex-army chief announced plans to contest the election.

It remains unclear whether Anan -- who, according to a spokesman, is now being held by the army at an unknown location -- will be permitted to run in the poll.

Earlier this month, Ahmed Shafiq, former President Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister, abruptly announced his withdrawal from the race, saying he was “not the best choice for managing the state’s affairs in the upcoming period”.