Defence minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi, affirmed that the Armed Forces will not support any presidential candidate in a speech at a seminar organized by the army in celebration of the 40th anniversary of 6 October 1973. Al-Sisi said: "You [the Egyptian people] are the ones who choose your leaders, and you are the ones who topple them." The defence minister said that the Egyptian army is "a patriotic and honourable army; we do not deceive or conspire, we never fought, and never will fight against God." Al-Sisi gave these comments as proof that the current conflict in Egypt is "political not religious", and asked the Armed Forces soldiers to not pay attention to the "attempts to tarnish the army". Al-Sisi saluted the people of Al-Dabaa: "We [the army] were sure that this amount of patriotism will emerge at the right time." Al-Sisi was referring to the army regaining control over the nuclear plant construction site in the village. He also saluted the people of Sinai: "Some of our procedures may cause restraints on your lives, but you will be compensated for your losses," and specified that any lost crops or damaged buildings will be compensated for by the army. Al-Sisi performed the military salute to "the martyrs for Egypt, who are falling everyday for the sake of this country." A campaign that started recently is gathering signatures for Al-Sisi to run for president, which he said he would not do several times.
