Liberal Congress Party backs Sisi for 3rd presidential term

CAIRO – 26 August 2023: The liberal Congress Party has announced backing incumbent President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to run for a third presidential term during the 2024 elections.

In a statement on Saturday, the party announced “concerting all the organizational and structural efforts at the central level during this phase as well as all geographical and qualitative capabilities” to support Sisi’s candidacy in the upcoming elections.

The party also decided to form an internal committee under its leader Omar Al-Mokhtar to manage the related partisan measures to support Sisi’s candidacy for a new term, the statement added.

Similarly, the liberal Free Egyptians Party announced the formation of a popular partisan campaign to back Sisi as the party’s candidate in the elections.

Partisan support

A number of political parties have earlier announced support to President Sisi’s potential candidacy, including the liberal Free Egyptians Party and the Homat Watan Party (Protectors of the Nation).

Egypt’s parliamentary majority party Mostaqbal Watan announced on Wednesday support for Sisi to run for another presidential term.

The decision comes in light of the party’s “support to all achievements made during the tenure of Mr. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi,” the party said in a statement.

Sisi, elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018, has not yet confirmed plans to run for a third term.

Third term

The constitution does not give the right for a president to run for a third term.

However, constitutional amendments in 2019 stretched the presidential term to six years instead of four. Therefore, Sisi has been serving a six-year term since 2018 and exceptionally has the right to run for a third six-year term until 2030.

Several leading figures from renowned political parties have also announced plans to run for elections, including Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of El-Wafd Party and Hazem Oman, head of the People’s Republican Party.

The National Election Authority (NEA) has not yet announced the schedule for the upcoming presidential election, with the process expected to start by the end of this year.