Egyptian opposition party chairman Farid Zahran says will run for president in upcoming elections

CAIRO – 21 September 2023: Prominent opposition politician and head of the leftist Egyptian Social Democratic Party Farid Zahran announced plans to run for president in the upcoming presidential elections.

The party’s supreme authority approved on Thursday Zahran’s candidacy in the presential elections by a majority of 75 percent, Zahran said.

The authority said Zahran’s plans to run for president comes after some candidates belonging to the opposition announced their candidacy.

The authority added that it looks forward to Zahran being the presidential candidate of the opposition Civil Democratic Movement, which the party is part of, and all democratic and civil forces aiming to make secure, peaceful and democratic change.

“We will continue dialogue and consultation with all friends and allies so that to ensure that this electoral battle become a step towards democratic transformation,” the authority stated.

On Wednesday, opposition political activist and Head of Egypt’s liberal Constitution Party (Al-Dostour) Gameela Ismail also announced her readiness to run for president in the upcoming elections.

An hour later, Al-Dostour Party approved Ismail as its candidate in the presidential elections, slated for December.

Ismail said her decision comes amid “the ambiguity of the political scene and the regime’s insistence on ignoring the demands of political forces and popular blocs for the right in having democratic elections.”

Egypt is preparing for its fifth multi-candidate presidential elections and its third since the 30th of June 2013 Revolution.

Several leading figures from renowned political parties have 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 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, incumbent President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who has been serving since 2014, exceptionally has the right to run for a third term until 2030.

Sisi has not announced plans to run for elections to date. However, tens of political parties and unions have announced support to his potential candidacy, including the parliamentary majority party Mostaqbal Watan.