CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s army chief General Abdel Fatah al-Sisi gave his clearest signal yet yesterday of his interest in becoming president, a move that could turn the clock back to the days when the presidency was controlled by men from the military.
Sisi, who ousted Egypt’s first democratically elected leader Mohamed Mursi last July after mass protests against his one-year rule, is widely expected to seek the top job but has not yet announced plans to run.
“If I run then it must be at the request of the people and with a mandate from my army… We work in a democracy,” he said, speaking at an army seminar in Cairo.
After the army overthrew the Islamist Mursi, it appointed an interim president and outlined a roadmap for democratic transition.
Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood supporters, who accuse the army of staging a coup, have held frequent protests calling for his reinstatement. But the security forces have launched a wide crackdown against the group, arresting thousands on charges of violence.
Egypt is set to hold a referendum on a new constitution on January 14-15, a major milestone in that roadmap which will clear the way for presidential and parliamentary elections. Analysts and politicians say it is unlikely that Sisi will announce plans to run before the referendum is complete.