Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will run for a third term in office in elections scheduled for December, he announced on Monday night.
The former army general, who was first elected in 2014, made the announcement in a televised address.
“As I have in the past answered the call of Egyptians, here I am today answering their call once again,” said Mr El Sisi, 68.
“I have decided to nominate myself for you so we can continue the dream in a new presidential term that I promise will be a continuation of our joint endeavour for the sake of Egypt and its people.”
His win is widely considered to be virtually guaranteed given his access as the incumbent to the state's vast resources, including the media and government institutions.
Many Egyptians also feel an aversion towards change after the years of turmoil that followed a 2011 uprising, which forced long-serving autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak to step down.
Egyptians have also grown accustomed to leaders hailing from the military, with many believing they provide a safe pair of hands in a region often in turmoil.
Should he win the election, Mr El Sisi will have served 16 years in office when his third term ends in 2030.
“I sincerely call on Egyptians to make this election the new beginning of an energetic political life that boasts diversity,” he said in his address.
Thousands of his supporters were gathered on major squares in cities across the country ahead of the announcement, where they waved flags as giant screens showed the president's address to the nation.
The December elections will be held as the country of 105 million people is suffering an economic crisis during which the Egyptian pound lost half its value since March 2022 and inflation hit record highs.
A persistent foreign currency crunch has suppressed imports and badly hurt industries dependent on foreign materials.
Mr El Sisi has blamed the crisis entirely on the coronavirus pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, but critics maintain that overspending and excessive borrowing – the foreign debt stands at more than $160 billion – were major contributing factors.
His announcement on Monday night came at the end of a three-day forum in which he listened to his Prime Minister and Cabinet members speak at length about the achievements of the government in the nine years since Mr El Sisi took office.
On Saturday, he urged Egyptians to make do with less, saying it was better if they went hungry and thirsty if that meant building the nation and achieving prosperity.
Mr El Sisi will be challenged in the December vote by Ahmed Tantawy, an outspoken former member of parliament and a critic of the Egyptian leader.
Mr Tantawy has been gaining popularity since he declared his intention to run earlier this year.
The other challengers are lesser known politicians, with limited popular appeal.
“As an Egyptian citizen before being President, I am very happy to see this multitude of candidates who are taking the initiative to take responsibility," Mr El Sisi said.
"They have my respect and appreciation.”
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
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Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
