Cairo: Egypt’s caretaker President Adly Mansour Monday promoted army chief General Abdul Fattah Al Sissi to the rank of field marshal, reported state television, a move seen as a gesture of honour to the widely popular military who ousted Islamist president Mohammad Mursi in July.
Mansour, who took office following Mursi’s overthrow, announced the promotion in a presidential decree, the broadcaster.
The step comes amid rife speculation that Al Sissi, 59, will announce shortly a bid to stand for president. Mansour Sunday said that the presidential poll would be held before the parliamentary elections, switching the order of a transitional plan announced by the military following the ouster of Mursi, Egypt’s first freely elected president. The date of the presidential election is left for an electoral commission to set, although the polls are expected to be held in March.
To be eligible for contesting presidential elections, Al Sissi will have to resign as defence minister, a move that will trigger a cabinet reshuffle reportedly to include eight portfolios in the 36-member government.
Egyptian constitution stipulates that presidential hopefuls have each to collect at least 25,000 endorsements from registered voters in at least 15 of the country’s 27 governorates.
Thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday, the third anniversary of an uprising that forced former president Hosni Mubarak out of power, demanding Al Sissi to run for president.
Demonised by Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood, Al Sissi is idolised by many Egyptians as a national hero.
Several presidential hopefuls have said they would not run if Al Sissi launches a presidential bid, predicting a landslide win for him.
