Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has chosen a star as his symbol in the upcoming presidential elections, while his opponent Moussa Mostafa Moussa has chosen an airplane as his symbol, the National Elections Authority (NEA) announced on Thursday.

Presidential candidates can choose from 15 symbols published by the NEA in the state's official gazette.

Egypt uses symbols for candidates in its elections to help illiterate voters make their choice on the ballot.

According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) in 2016, 23.7 percent of the Egyptian population are illiterate.  

The NEA is expected to officially announce on 24 February El-Sisi and Moussa as the only two candidates in the elections.

The elections are set to be held on 26-28 March.