Four presidential candidates, yet no one officially applies

CAIRO – 20 January 2018: The National Election Authority (NEA) opened its doors for hopeful candidates to present their candidacy documents on Saturday, but no one has applied yet for the presidential race that is set to be held on March 26, according to the authority’s deputy head, Mahmoud el-Sherif, on Saturday.

“Anyone who has the announced conditions is welcome to apply,” Sherif said in a press conference held Saturday to review the procedures of running for president in 2018.

He added that the presidential election is running within the legal frame and that appeals will be considered by the Administrative Court.

The National Election Authority is an independent institution running all types of elections and referenda in the country, currently chaired by Chancellor Lashin Ibrahim Mohamed, who also serves as vice-president of the Court of Cassation.

Until this moment, four candidates publically announced their intention to run for president, including President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, human rights lawyer Khaled Ali, chief of Zamalek Club MP Mortada Mansour and former Army Chief of Staff Sami Anan.

To be accepted as a candidate in the presidency election, one must be recommended by at least 20 elected parliamentarians or be endorsed by at least 25,000 citizens who have the right to vote, in at least 15 governorates, with a minimum of 1,000 supporters from each governorate.

The final list of the candidates will be announced on February 24, and the deadline for any candidate to retract their candidacy is March 1. The primary results of the first round of the election will be announced on March 29, when decisions on appeals submitted by candidates, if any, will be made.

If no candidate obtains the majority of votes, a three-day run-off round will commence in Egypt on April 24, and on April 19 abroad. The name of the winning candidate is set to be announced on May 1.

According to Article 140 of the Egyptian constitution, electoral procedures should begin a minimum of 120 days before the end of the current presidential term, and the president-elect should be announced a minimum of 30 days before the end of the previous president’s term. The current presidential term will end in June 2018.