Lawyer running against Al-Sisi faces obstacles

Supporters of Egyptian rights lawyer and presidential hopeful, Khaled Ali, say his election bid is being stalled by bureaucrats loyal to the government.

According to Ali’s backers he is struggling to secure the 25,000 signatures needed in order to be able to challenge current President, Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, who is expected to run for a second term.

Other than signatures, presidential hopefuls in Egypt can also try to secure the support of 20 elected lawmakers which is a difficult task as the majority of the chamber’s 596 members have already pledged their support to Al-Sisi who is expected to win another term despite not yet having announced officially his intention to run.

“The battle for the recommendations is the real battle in this election”, Ali told reporters yesterday.

Read: Egypt announces date for presidential elections

Elections in Egypt are expected to be held from 26-28th March with many expecting Sisi to win an overwhelming majority due to the lack of opposition figures opposing him. Sisi came to power in 2013 after a military coup overthrew the country’s first democratically elected President, Mohammed Morsi.

Long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, whose 30-year rule ended with the uprising in 2011, has announced his intention to run alongside his son, Gamal.