650 foreign reporters to cover Egypt's presidential election: SIS

CAIRO – 27 January 2018: The State Information Service (SIS) has handed, a list of 650 foreign reporters to cover the 2018 presidential election, to the National Election Authority (NEA).

Head of the SIS, Diaa Rashwan, said on Friday that the SIS handed a list of 650 foreign reporters, including 530 residents who are certified by the government press center, and 120 visitors representing the world nations.

Rashwan said he is waiting for the NEA to issue permits for covering the election, and promised to coordinate with the NEA to overcome obstacles that reporters may face.

The National Electoral Commission announced on January 8, that Egypt's 2018 presidential elections will kick off on March 26.

On January 19, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi announced his candidacy for a second term for second term. Sisi submitted his candidacy file to the NEA on January 24.

Head of the Wafd Party, el-Sayyid el-Badawi, announced on Friday his intention to run for president, in a statement to Youm7.

Badawi seems to be the only prominent candidate facing Sisi after the withdrawal of lawyer Khaled Ali and former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik from the race, and the arrest of former army chief of staff Sami Anan on Tuesday over charges of “forgery”.