It appears that the upcoming presidential elections in December will witness the participation of several potential contenders not seen in the previous presidential elections, where the majority of Egyptians do not remember who competed against the current President, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Farid Zahran, the head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, announced his readiness to run in the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. This announcement followed a party meeting attended by 134 out of the total 143 members, according to Zahran.
The Supreme Body of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, through its candidate, stated that “Farid Zahran is not only the candidate of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, but we want him to be the candidate of the civil movement and all democratic and civil forces seeking a safe, peaceful, and democratic change.” Zahran concluded by saying, “I hope these elections will be a step towards democratic transition, and the scene of the previous presidential elections does not repeat itself.”
Farid Zahran was born in Cairo in 1957 and is a socialist democrat politician. He is considered one of the prominent leaders of the student movement in the 1970s and a leader of protest movements and opposition advocating for democracy in Egypt since 1974. He is one of the founders of the civil activity and holds the position of Deputy Chairman of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party for Party Affairs, in addition to being the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Mahrousa Center for Publishing, Media, and Information.
Gameela Ismail, born on April 6, 1966, is an Egyptian journalist, politician, and TV presenter. She is the President of the Constitution Party founded by Mohamed ElBaradei.
The list of potential presidential candidates includes the former deputy Ahmed Tantawi, Abdel-Send Yemama, the President of the Wafd Party, Hazem Omar, the President of the Republican People’s Party, and Ahmed El-Fadaly, the President of the Democratic Peace Party. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has not officially announced his candidacy for a new presidential term. The General Union of Associations and Civil Institutions, which includes 27 regional unions and over 30 specialized unions across the republic, officially announced its support for President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s candidacy in a press statement.
The National Electoral Commission is scheduled to hold a meeting on September 25th to determine the timeline for the presidential elections and announce the details in a press conference on the same day.
