Omar sent a message to Senate Speaker Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq on Thursday informing the Senate that following the NEA's decision to open the door for nomination for the post of president and the PRP's decision to nominate him as its presidential candidate, he has decided to submit his candidacy papers to the Authority to run for the post of president of the republic in Egypt’s 2023-2024 presidential election.

Furthermore, Omar, who chairs the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, indicated that in observance of Article 255 of the Senate's internal bylaws, he has decided to resign from the chamber “to be legally allowed to run for president.”

Mohamed Salah Abu Himila, Secretary General of the PRP, indicated that Omar has already secured endorsements from 20 MPs since the PRP has 50 MPs in the House.  

According to Article 142 of the constitution, presidential candidates should secure endorsements from 20 MPs or 25,000 registered voters spread across at least 15 governorates, with a minimum of 1,000 endorsements from each governorate.

Moreover, Abu Himila indicated that the PRP has also formed a secretariat-general to organize Omar's presidential election campaign, stressing that the party, which he said enjoys wide popular support, takes this election seriously.

He also voiced hope that the media and the state treat all candidates equally without displaying bias towards any candidate.

Meanwhile, and for the third day, many MPs visited the House of Representatives to endorse presidential election hopefuls.

Ashraf Rashad, who heads majority party Mostaqbal Watan’s parliamentary group and endorsed President El-Sisi's re-election, said the endorsement reflects the party's position.

"As Mostaqba Watan MPs, we endorse President El-Sisi because he is the one most able to rise to the economic and political challenges facing Egypt," Rashad said.  

Although President El-Sisi, whose term ends in 2024, has not officially announced running for the presidency, several political parties have urged him to run for another period.    

Who is running?
 

Seven political figures have revealed their plans to compete in the upcoming elections, the most recent of whom is Gameela Ismail, the head of the liberal Dostour (Constitution) Party, and Farid Zahran, the head of the leftist Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

The other five figures include Abdel-Sanad Yamama, Head of the Wafd Party; Fouad Badrawi, a former MP and member of the Wafd Party's Higher Council; Hazem Omar, Head of the People's Republican Party; Ahmed El-Fadaly, Chairman of the Democratic Peace Party; and Ahmed Tantawi, a former MP and former head of the leftist Al-Karama (“Dignity”) Party.

Informed sources told Ahram Online that President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Abdel-Sanad Yamama, and Hazem Omar have secured endorsements from 20 MPs to run in the upcoming presidential election.

MP Maha Abdel-Nasser, a senior official of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party, told reporters that by Monday, Farid Zahran will be able to secure the required recommendations from 20 MPs.