CAIRO – Egypt's former military chief has taken the final formal step to run in the May 26-27 presidential election, submitting to the election commission the signatures of at least 25,000 Egyptians demanding that he runs.
Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a retired field marshal, did not deliver the signatures in person. His campaign said a legal adviser delivered the signatures on Monday.
Footage aired on local TV networks showed security guards delivering white boxes containing the signatures, with an image of the retired soldier plastered on the side.
It is mandatory for any presidential hopeful to secure 25,000 signatures from at least 15 of the nation's 27 provinces in order to run. El-Sissi, who led the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi last July, was the first hopeful to submit the signatures.
