Egypt army chief Sisi to run for president - Kuwait newspaper
Egypt army denies Sisi presidential candidacy report
(about 7 hours later)
Egypt's army chief Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has said he will run for president, a Kuwaiti newspaper says.
Egypt's military has denied that its chief of staff, Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, told a Kuwaiti newspaper he would run for president.
Asked by the al-Seyassah newspaper if he would be standing, the army chief said he had to meet the wishes of the Egyptian people and run for election.
Spokesman Col Ahmed Ali said the report published by al-Seyassah on Wednesday evening was not accurate and had been a misinterpretation of his words.
He had been widely expected to declare his candidacy but there has been no official confirmation from the army.
The newspaper quoted him as saying he could "not reject the demand" of the people that he should stand.
The army leadership backed him to stand in the election last month, promoting him to the rank of field marshal.
The field marshal led the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi in July.
Presidential elections in Egypt are due within six months.
According to the new constitution, an election must take place by mid-April. Correspondents say Field Marshal Sisi would be likely to win, given his popularity and the lack of any serious rivals.
Correspondents say Field Marshal Sisi is expected to win by a landslide if he does indeed become a candidate.
The field marshal has been widely expected to resign and declare a presidential bid since last week, when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) gave its public support.
He is hugely popular in Egypt since the army removed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July, following mass protests.
Following demonstrations at which tens of thousands of people urged him to stand, it said "the free choice of the people" had to be heeded.
Mr Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, is currently in detention and facing four separate trials.
"I will not reject the demand [of the people]," Field Marshal Sisi told al-Seyassah.
"I will present this to the Egyptian people to renew confidence through free voting."
Thousands arrested
Mr Morsi and his political party, the Muslim Brotherhood, have accused the army of staging a coup.
In response, the army-backed interim government has declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation and arrested thousands of its members.
Last month, Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) gave its approval for Field Marshal Sisi to run for the presidency, saying: "The people's trust in Sisi is a call that must be heeded as the free choice of the people."
The state-run al-Ahram newspaper said his chief-of-staff, Gen Sedky Sobhy, had been chosen to replace him as head of the armed forces.
Field Marshal Sisi's supporters say he is a strong leader who can restore stability after years of unrest.
However, his critics say he is a military hardliner who is returning Egypt to the repression of the past.
