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Egypt’s Army Chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Resigns to Run for President

Sisi is the latest incarnation of military rulers following in the tradition of suppressing opposing political parties.
Photo by Reuters

In a move that has been widely anticipated for a while, Egypt’s Field Marshal Army Chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi officially announced his resignation as Army Chief in preparation for a presidential run in the upcoming elections Wednesday evening.

"I have spent all my life as a soldier for the sake of the country…I am telling you that I intend to run for the president of Egypt, and this support from you will give me this honor," Sisi said on Egyptian state TV.

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The announcement comes after Sisi met with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Wednesday where he submitted his formal resignation, according to Egyptian state-run newspaper Al Ahram.

"Today is the last time you’ll see me wearing this [military] uniform. I was honored to wear it to defend the nation and today I am also leaving it behind to defend the nation,” Sisi said.

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Sisi, who oversaw the military’s ouster of ex-President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood last year, is widely expected to win in the upcoming presidential elections on March 30.

Egypt government resignation sets presidential stage for Sisi

Last month, Egypt’s interim prime minister announced his resignation and the dissolution of his cabinet to clear the way for Sisi’s run, following SCAF’s endorsement of Sisi to run for president in January and elevating Sisi to the army’s highest ranking.

Sisi’s resignation comes in the midst of several controversial actions recently taken by the military and it is little coincidence that they happened a day apart.

The government attempted to prosecute 683 members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood Tuesday, following the army’s issuing of the biggest death sentence in history on Monday.

Egypt cracks down on the Muslim Brotherhood with death sentences

The defendants were charged with the murder of an Egyptian police officer during the violence that broke out last August in response to the coup by the military.

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Many have pointed out that the purpose of this massive death sentence and arrests was to wipe out the remaining Muslim Brotherhood supporters and continue to consolidate the military’s rule over Egypt.

Sisi’s announcement to run for president seems to be the latest attempt to make clear exactly who is in charge right now in Egypt. Not that many were left wondering.

Clashes broke out between protesters and security forces at Cairo University on March 26 as demonstrations were held in the area.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday between security forces and protesters near Cairo University, in response to the mass death sentencing of Muslim Brotherhood members. The violence left at least one person dead, an 18-year-old student, according to the Health Ministry.

Despite Sisi’s mass repression of dissent and heavy-handed crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, he remains a deeply beloved figure in Egypt and continues to receive widespread popular support.

Egypt has a long history of military rule that goes back to the iconic Gamel Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s first president and arguably the most famous and popular figure to ever exist in Arab history.

Sisi is the latest reincarnation of this legacy and like Hosni Mubarak, Anwar Sadat and Nasser before him, is also following in the time-honored tradition of the suppression of opposing political parties.

This is why it comes as no surprise to anyone that Sisi would become Egypt’s next president—just that it took him so long to finally announce it.

"It wasn't the army or political forces who ousted the last two regimes; it was you the people. My entering the presidency race doesn't not mean that others shouldn't," Sisi said.

Follow Olivia Becker on Twitter: @obecker928