15th Apr 2014 05:32
Cairo (Alliance News) - Former army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi submitted his papers Monday to run for Egypt's presidential election in late May.
Lawyer Mohammed Bahaa Abu Shuqa presented the official documents on his behalf at the headquarters of the election commission in Cairo, the campaign said.
Candidates need endorsements from 25,000 voters, including at least 1,000 in each of 15 provinces. The filing also includes medical documents.
The campaign said it had gathered 200,000 endorsements by citizens from different provinces.
"Field Marshal al-Sissi presents his appreciation and gratitude for all Egyptian people across the provinces, who presented their nominations to support him in his presidency bid," it said.
The popular ex-defence minister, who announced the ouster of president Mohammed Morsi in July, is widely expected to win.
The elections are scheduled to be held on May 26-27, and nominations remain open until April 20.
Two other prominent figures have announced as candidates for the presidency: left-wing nationalist Hamdeen Sabahy and controversial lawyer Mortada Mansour.
Both have still to present their official documents to the election commission.
Meanwhile, one student was killed and two journalists injured as security forces broke up a demonstration at Cairo University, local media reported.
Independent newspaper al-Shorouk named the dead student as Mohammed Adel, and quoted a photographer at the scene as saying that troops had fired live rounds as well as tear gas at student supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
State-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported that Khaled Hussein, a journalist for the daily newspaper Youm 7, was shot in the chest in front of the university's main gates.
Amr al-Sayyed, who works at the privately owned TV channel Sada al-Balad, was also shot.
The Interior Ministry denied that police had used live ammunition, and said the victims had been shot inside the campus while security forces only dealt with "rioters" at the main entrance.
Morsi's backers have taken to the streets almost daily since the military deposed him in July following protests against his one-year rule. Security forces have often met the demonstrations with deadly force.
Earlier Monday, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled the Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis a terrorist organization.
The group has claimed responsibility for most of the attacks that targeted security forces across Egypt over the past year, including a car bombing at a police headquarters in Cairo in January, an assassination attempt against Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim in September and the bombing of a tourist bus in Sinai in February.
More than 400 members of the security forces have been killed in militant attacks and clashes over the past year.
In December, the military-backed government designated Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The organization has repeatedly denied any involvement in violence, accusing Egyptian authorities of oppression.
Copyright dpa