The Presidential Election Commission (PEC) — the five-member judicial body tasked with supervising the presidential poll — is scheduled to meet next Sunday to open the doors for candidate registration. According to PEC secretary-general Hamdan Fahmi the Commission decided on 22 March that Anwar Al-Assi, chairman of the PEC and of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC), should hold a press conference on 30 March to announce the dates for registration. “We expect that the registration window will open on 1 April and last three weeks,” said Fahmi. “The actual poll is expected to be sometime in the second half of May.” Field Marshal Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, currently army chief and minister of defence, will have to resign his posts and register his name on voter lists before next Sunday in order to be eligible to stand. Sources close to Al-Sisi say he is expected to step down on Wednesday or Thursday. “I expect Field Marshal Al-Sisi to submit his resignation to interim President Adli Mansour on Wednesday,” security expert Sameh Seif Al-Yazal told the private television channel Al-Nahar. Amr Moussa dismissed rumours Al-Sisi had decided not to stand. On 22 March the veteran politician told state-owned news agency MENA that Al-Sisi had already finalised his election manifesto. “Al-Sisi's platform is aimed at rebuilding the country on the basis of modernity while respecting the freedoms and rights enshrined by the new constitution,” said Moussa. “Restoring security and stability and fighting corruption are also high on the agenda.” Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II also appeared to endorse Al-Sisi's candidacy. “Egyptians now see him as a saviour and the hero of the 30 June revolution which removed the regime of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Tawadros told Kuwait's Al-Watan TV channel on Saturday. Al-Sisi's failure to publicly announce his candidacy has spawned much speculation about his intentions. Rumours were rife this week that he would remain in his current posts and Murad Mowafi, the former head of intelligence, would stand in the polls. Such speculation is baseless, insists Al-Yazal. “I should also make it clear that for security reasons Al-Sisi will not be holding public rallies or touring governorates,” Al-Yazal added. “He tops the list of assassination targets of the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies. I think most Egyptians will agree that Al-Sisi's life is in real danger and it will be enough for him to hold press conferences and television interviews to explain his electoral platform.” On Monday army spokesman Ahmed Ali announced security forces had uncovered almost 1,500 individuals fraudulently claiming to be campaigning on behalf of Al-Sisi. “Some campaigners have held meetings at which they promised future privileges in return for donations ranging between LE125 and LE200 per person,” said Ali. “Such illegal acts will be prosecuted,” he promised. To date the only politician to declare his candidacy is Hamdeen Sabahi who has urged Al-Sisi to retain his post as minister of defence rather than join the political fray. Moatasem Marzouk, Sabahi's spokesman, told Al-Ahram Weekly that “the Nasserist candidate's campaign this week opened the door for donations”. “If people want a really competitive election they should contribute. We will be closely observing whether state authorities refrain from favouring any one candidate above another,” added Marzouk. In a press conference held after meeting with leaders of the Misr Al-Horreya Party on 23 March Sabahi characterised the presidential poll as “a battle with the supporters of the two revolutions of 25 January and 30 June on one side and the supporters of the defunct regime of Hosni Mubarak on the other”. Sabahi's decision to run came amid criticism of interim President Adli Mansour's decision on 22 March not to amend article 7 of the newly-drafted presidential election law to allow appeals. In a press briefing on Saturday Mansour's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Advisor Ali Awad told reporters that Mansour had officially informed political factions that PEC decisions will be immune to appeals. Awad said Mansour had told political forces that proposed amendments to Article 7 could not be accepted “because some of them contravene the new constitution while others fail to take Egypt's national interests into consideration”. Awad added President Mansour's written response to political forces stressed that the rejection of appeals against PEC decisions “stands on constitutional grounds”. “If appeals were to be allowed the Supreme Administrative Court could refer some of them to the Constitutional Court for a final judgement, delaying the results of the elections for up to six months during which the whole of the country would be destabilized,” argued Awad. In an interview with CBC television last week Mansour said Sabahi had proposed allowing appeals against selected PEC decisions. “I told him this would be unconstitutional. You have just two options: either you allow appeals or you don't,” Mansour said. PEC's Secretary-General Fahmi has indicated that “candidacy endorsement forms” will be available in all public notary offices before the door to registration is officially opened. “Hopeful candidates will have to use these forms to collect the 25,000 endorsements from 15 governorates that are required. Staff at public notary offices have received training on how to certify candidacy endorsement forms and how to help citizens change their designated polling stations.” “A sub-committee has been formed to take charge of monitoring election campaign funding,” added Fahmi.
