Former Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Samy Anan announced that he will not run in the upcoming presidential elections during a Thursday press conference.
Anan said he decided not to run in order to thwart the plans of conspirators working against Egypt.
“I am in the same trench with the Egyptian people to defend their rights,” said Anan during the conference.
Anan said he collaborated with members of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces in the aftermath of the January 25 Revolution in order to maintain the stability of Egypt.
During a mid-February interview with Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Anan said he would announce his final decision on whether he would run in the presidential elections following the issuance of the presidential elections law.
On Tuesday, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper reported that Anan survived an assassination attempt shortly after leaving his office. Interior Ministry spokesperson Hany Abdel Latif denied the claims.
The security apparatuses of the Giza Security Directorate went to Anan’s office, but their investigations proved that the allegations are groundless, said Abdel Latif.
Anan and his presidential campaign officials seemed undecided and elusive regarding his decision to run for the country’s top post. Several unofficial announcements circulated recently over Anan’s presidential candidacy and the potential for Muslim Brotherhood support for his presidential campaign.
Several of Anan’s friends convinced him not to run so that the current public consensus over a “nationalistic personality” is not fractured, reported to Al-Shorouk newspaper.
The quote most likely refers to Field Marshal Abdel Fatah al-Sisi who has been discussed as a potential candidate for president since he was part of former President Mohamed Morsi’s ouster in July 2013. He has made no clear sign of his intentions thus far.
However, from Jan. 27 and on, a series of moves have made his transition to the presidency seemed inevitable.
On Jan. 27, interim President Adly Mansour promoted Sisi to the title of Field Marshal, an action that often portends an Egyptian officer’s resignation from the military. On the same day, SCAF announced that it mandated Sisi to run for president and that he would make the final decision “according to his conscience.”
