Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has received the support of 424 out of 596 members in the country’s lower house of parliament for his reelection bid, Africanews reported on Saturday, citing the leader’s campaign.

The Egyptian leader confirmed last week during a three-day national conference that he would run for a third term in elections scheduled for December.

The African country plans to hold a three-day presidential election from December 10 to 12. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a second round of voting will be held from January 8 to 10.

Several politicians, including former lawmaker and critic of the current government Ahmed Altantawy, have reportedly declared their candidacy to challenge Sisi.

Sisi has been in power since 2014 and has faced Western criticism for Egypt’s human rights record. He won a second four-year term in 2018, and constitutional amendments endorsed in a 2019 referendum extended his term by two years. A third term would keep him in power until 2030.

Prior to Sisi’s disclosure of his third-term bid, local media reported rallies in Cairo where supporters called for his candidacy. State-affiliated TV showed scenes of thousands celebrating across the country after the president announced his “intention to run and complete the dream in a new presidential term.”

On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed a resolution criticizing Egyptian authorities’ treatment of political prisoners, the upcoming election, media regulations, and opposition figures.

The resolution called on the government to hold “credible, free, and fair” presidential elections and to refrain from suppressing “opposition voices.”

The EU report, however, drew widespread criticism in the Middle Eastern country, with the Coalition of Egyptian Parties rejecting “any interference in internal affairs as well as external dictations.” On Friday, the Egyptian parliament also condemned the resolution, claiming it lacked credibility and neutrality.

Source: Russia Today