Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi
Abdel Fattah Al-SisiReuters

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced on Friday his intention to run for a second term in office, Reuters reported.

Egypt will hold the first round of the elections between March 26 and 28, with a second round being held on April 24-26 if necessary. Candidates must register between January 20 and 29.

Sisi’s announcement is not surprising, as he was widely expected to stand for re-election and win in the first round.

Sisi, a former army chief, was elected president in 2014, a year after leading the military to oust his predecessor, Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, amid mass protests against the Islamist's year-long rule.

Sisi’s supporters recently collected more than 12 million signatures from people urging him to run for another four-year term.

If Sisi does win, it would appear it would be his last term in office. He recently told CNBC in an interview that he would not seek a third term in office, noting the country's constitution permits its leaders to serve only two four-year terms.

So far it is unclear who will challenge Sisi for the presidency. Former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq had announced he would run in 2018, but later backtracked and announced he would not be a candidate, explaining he came to realize he was not the right person for the job.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)