Hamdeen Sabahi, a prominent left-wing politician in Egypt, announced on Sunday that he will run in the country’s upcoming presidential elections, enlivening a race that army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely expected to win.
Sabahi came third in the 2012 election won by Mohammed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was deposed by the army in July following mass protests against his rule.
“My personal decision as a citizen is to run for the coming presidential elections,” Sabahi said in a public address to supporters. “Hamdeen Sabahi’s battle is the battle of the revolution.”
Sabahi, 59, built up a large following during his past run for the presidency, using a popular touch to beat opponents with better funded campaigns.
The dearth of candidates ahead of this year’s vote provides a stark contrast to 2012, which was the country’s first free election.
Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a moderate Islamist who ran for the presidency two years ago, has said he does not plan to enter the race, saying the current circumstances are neither free nor democratic.
wirestory
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