CAIRO, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Documents required for Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to run for the 2018 presidential elections have been submitted to the electoral authority on Wednesday, official MENA news agency reported.
The election documents were furnished to the National Elections Authority (NEA) through Sisi's legal representative Dr. Mohamed Bahaeddin Abu Shokka, MENA quoted Counselor Alaa Fouad, the Chairman of NEA committee, as saying.
Sisi announced on Friday his intention to run for a second four-year presidential term, a last one for Sisi if he wins according to the Egyptian constitution.
Egypt will hold its 2018 presidential race from March 26 to 28. A 10-day candidate registration has started on Jan. 20, while electoral campaigns will kick off on Feb. 24 and the result of the first round will be announced on April 2.
Hours after Sisi's announcement, former military chief of staff Sami Anan declared his intention to join the 2018 presidential race, blaming Egypt's ongoing problems on "wrong policies" and calling on the country's institutions not to take sides in favor of any candidate.
However, the Egyptian army said in an official statement on Tuesday that it will summon Anan to interrogate him over "legal violations" he made by running for president without a prior approval from the armed forces.
The armed forces said that Anan's statement regarding running for president contained clear incitement against the armed forces for the purpose of driving a wedge between the armed forces and the great Egyptian people.
According to the military regulations, Anan has to resign or get prior approval from the supreme council of the armed forces before running for president; otherwise he could be summoned for military service whenever necessary.
The army statement said that Anan falsified official documents stating he has ended his service at the armed forces, adding he will be summoned to be interrogated over "the violations and crimes" included in his move towards the presidential bid.
Also on Tuesday, the NEA announced excluding the name of Anan from the eligible voters database, saying that his inclusion in the voters' database violates the law as the Egyptian constitution does not allow military men to join or vote in elections.
Veteran air forces commander and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who fled Egypt after narrowly losing to Morsi in the 2012 elections, announced earlier in January his withdrawal from the presidential race after coming back to Egypt from the United Arab Emirates, where he spent the past five years.
Another presidential hopeful, rights and opposition lawyer Khaled Ali, announced last November his intention to join the presidential race.
Ali could be disqualified as he had received a suspended three-month jail term last September over an obscene hand gesture he reportedly made after winning a court order challenging the government.
