Egypt's Homat Watan party calls upon President El-Sisi to run for a third presidential term

Gamal Essam El-Din , Monday 24 Jul 2023

Egypt's political party of Homat Watan (the Protectors of the Nation) called upon President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi "to run in the 2024 presidential election and complete his successful march for rebuilding Egypt," a statement quoted the head of the party, and Senator, Galal Haridi as saying on Monday.

President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi
File photo: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.


Haridi added that "out of national and constitutional obligations and a belief in a positive contribution to the country's political future, the party of Homat Watan decided not to field a candidate in Egypt's 2024 presidential election."

He noted that the party has instead opted "to mobilize its human resources, efforts, and offices across Egypt to support President El-Sisi's presidential election campaign and urge all citizens to stand behind the country's incumbent political leader to win a new presidential term in office."

The statement attributed Homat Watan's decision to call upon President El-Sisi to run for a third term to the party's wish "to allow President El-Sisi to continue the great efforts and successes he has achieved for the country at internal and external levels since he came to office (in May 2014)."

The party also provided another justification for their call: El-Sis's "heroic" role "in rekindling the flame of the glorious 2013 30 June revolution," which defeated terrorism and restored Egypt's peace and stability.  

In the statement, the party explained that its call for El-Sisi to run for elections is attributed, furthermore, to his success "in restoring Egypt's influential role in the world, particularly in Arab and African circles, not to mention his pioneering march to modernize the country and build a new republic."

The statement further cited El-Sisi's mega-national projects, which he embarked on since he took office, in industry, agriculture, health, and education.

In addition, the statement  shed light on the initiatives El-Sisi launched to improve the quality of life for Egyptians, such as the Decent Life Initiative, which "played a leading role in changing the face of rural Egypt."

Moreover, the statement pointed out El-Sisi's success in withstanding the severe economic challenges that faced Egypt due to global crises and in confronting the conspiracies that certain "malicious groups" organized against the country.

Homat Watan Party's statement concluded by citing all the above reasons for the party's belief "that President El-Sisi is the most competent to lead the country in the coming stage to complete the march of progress and achieve Egypt's goals and aspirations for a better future."

President El-Sisi has not officially declared that he will run for a third presidential term. He was elected president of Egypt in May 2014 and then re-elected in June 2018.

A 2019  amendment to the constitution extended the presidential term from four to six years. Therefore, President El-Sisi, whose current presidential term ends in 2024, has the chance to run for another six-year term in office, ending in 2030.  

Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) announced last week that it is arranging the legal dates for the upcoming presidential election in line with Articles 140, 210, and 241 of the constitution, expecting to release a timetable soon.

The announcement was made following the second meeting of NEA's Board of Directors, chaired by Judge Walid Hamza, on 19 July.

"The meeting discussed all necessary administrative and logistical procedures that should be taken ahead of the upcoming presidential election, which will be placed under full judicial supervision," according to a statement issued after the meeting.

Some legal experts, such as the National Dialogue's secretary-general Mahmoud Fawzi, believe that the door for registration in the election should open in October or November 2023, while the vote itself could take place between the second half of December 2023 and the first half of January 2024.

So far, four candidates have announced their intention to compete in  Egypt's presidential election. These include Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of the El-Wafd party; Fouad Badrawi, a former MP and member of the El-Wafd party's Higher Council; Hazem Omar, head of the People's Republican Party; Ahmed El-Fadaly, chairman of the Democratic Peace Party; Ahmed Tantawi, a former MP.

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