Egypt s National Elections Authority announced shortly after 2pm on Monday that the deadline to receive requests to run in Egypt s 2018 presidential elections had passed.
The spokesperson for the NEA, Mahmoud El-Sharif, said that the authority had received two requests for candidacy; from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who will run for a second term in the March election, and from the head of the Ghad party, Moussa Mostafa Moussa.
The NEA will publish the list of individuals who submitted candidacy requests in the state-owned Al-Ahram and Al-Akhbar newspapers on Wednesday, while the final list of those who qualify as candidates is scheduled to be announced on 24 February.
The elections are set to take place on 26 to 28 March in Egypt, with expats voting at Egyptian embassies and consulates around the world from 16 to 18 March.
Article 142 of Egypt s 2014 constitution stipulates that a hopeful presidential candidate must secure the recommendation of at least 20 MPs, or 25,000 citizens from 15 governorates, with a minimum of 1,000 from each governorate.
Moussa earlier told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that he has completed requirements to file as a candidate in the elections, including receiving 47,000 citizen endorsements, as well as 26 endorsements from members of parliament.
Last week, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi underwent the required medical tests and submitted the endorsements for his candidacy to the NEA.
Around 500 MPs in the 596-member parliament have signed recommendation forms to support El-Sisi for a second four-year term.
Over the past few weeks, several well-known public figures ended their potential candidacies for president for various reasons.
