Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi resigns to run for the presidency

Egyptian army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Wednesday to tell them he was resigning as defense minister to run for the presidency, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on its website.

During the meeting Chief of Staff Sidqi Subhi was promoted to the rank of General prior to being named as defense minister,  Al Arabiya News Channel reported, quoting military sources.

Al-Ahram had said that Sisi was expected to announce his decision to step down as defense minister in a statement to be broadcast later.

The army deposed President Mohammad Mursi last year after mass protests against his rule and Sisi is widely expected to win the election, according to Reuters. He must resign as defense minister and from the army to run.

Sisi, 59, is popular among Egyptians who supported the army's decision to remove Mursi from power one year into his term. But he is reviled by the Islamist opposition which sees him as the mastermind of a coup against an elected leader and the author of a crackdown on dissent.

The meeting of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces began "a short while ago," Al-Ahram reported. Sisi had called the meeting to inform the council of "his resignation as defense minister, paving the way for the announcement of his candidacy for the presidential elections."

The authorities have yet to set a date for the presidential election. Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who came third in the 2012 election, is so far the only candidate to have stated his intention to run.

General Sedki Sobhi, who holds the post of chief of staff, is expected to replace Sisi as army chief and defense minister.

[With Reuters]

 Al Arabiya