Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has confirmed he will stand for a third term in elections scheduled for December.
The former army chief has been in power since he helped oust Mohammed Morsi, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and the country’s first democratically elected president, in 2013 amid mass protests against his rule.
Activists say his term in office has been marked by the brutal suppression of all opposition and the collapse of the Egyptian economy.
The constitution was changed four years ago to prolong his time in office and attempts by opponents to organise a credible bid for the presidency are reported to have been hampered by Egyptian bureaucracy.