Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, the Egyptian military chief who last summer removed the elected Islamist president, announced Wednesday that he will leave his current position with intentions to run for president in elections expected next month, according to Reuters.
El-Sissi announced he was resigning from the armed forces, which is a required step since only civilians can run for president, Reuters reported. He then declared that it was the last time he would wear his uniform because he was stepping down to run president and continue to defend the country.
El-Sissi added that he was "answering the demand of a wide range of Egyptians," according to Reuters.
The 59-year-old el-Sissi is widely expected to win the vote, and restore a tradition of presidents from military background that Egypt had for all but one year since 1952, Reuters reported.
He has been the country's most powerful figure since removing President Mohammed Morsi, and Morsi's once politically dominant Muslim Brotherhood has since been declared a terrorist group, according to Reuters.
Since the removal of Morsi and the ouster in July, the military-backed interim government has waged a fierce crackdown on the Brotherhood, arresting thousands of members and killing hundreds of protesters in clashes, Reuters reported.
For months, Egyptian media have been depicting el-Sissi, who was promoted to the rank of field marshal in January, as "the savior of the nation" for removing Morsi, according to Reuters.
Morsi was Egypt's only president since 1952 to not come from a military background, Reuters reported. Amid the crackdown since his fall, critics fear a return to autocratic ways similar to the Mubarak era, in light of increasing reports of police abuses and intolerance of dissent.
The election commission is expected over the weekend to announce the date of the election, Reuters reported.
In his address Wednesday night, el-Sissi acknowledged that "under the circumstances that you all know, I'm not going to launch a traditional presidential campaign," according to Reuters. He promised to put forward a clear program and platform and said he intended to build a "modern and democratic Egypt."
"These recent years of our nation's history have conclusively shown that no one can become president of Egypt against the will of the people," El-Sissi said during his speech, Reuters reported.
He invited other candidates to run in the vote and political parties to participate in subsequent parliamentary elections and promised "no alienation, exclusion or discrimination" and "open arms to everybody here or abroad," except Egyptians indicted by law, according to Reuters.
He also vowed to fight "every day" against terrorism and promised to rid Egypt and the region of it, Reuters reported. On the ground there have been no signs of any move toward reconciliation with the Brotherhood.
