Arrest of Former Egyptian General Who Was a Presidential Candidate

Sami Hafez Anan, the former Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Army, who was expected to be a candidate in the presidential elections, was arrested by security forces on Tuesday, January 23. Reports indicate that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered this action to ensure his victory. El-Sisi is preparing for the presidential elections, and Reuters has reported that serious rivals to el-Sisi are gradually being eliminated from the competition. Sami Hafez Anan, also a former commander of the Egyptian Air Force, had planned to run in the presidential elections. Experts had suggested that Anan could be a serious competitor for el-Sisi. The first round of the presidential elections in Egypt is scheduled to take place from March 26 to 28, 2018, and if no candidate receives the required majority of votes, a second round will be held from April 24 to 26. However, some assessments suggest that el-Sisi will win in the first round. An official security source in Egypt stated that Anan's arrest coincided with the release of an official army statement in state media, accusing Anan of several violations. The official statement indicated that Anan would be interrogated regarding issues related to 'forgery of documents related to military discharge' and that he had not consulted with military officials before announcing his candidacy, taking positions against the military in his statements. The statement emphasized that the army would not allow Anan to violate the law and broadly infringe upon the regulations governing military officers. It added that in light of respecting the constitutional laws of the regime, it is necessary to take legal steps to investigate the violations and crimes committed by the accused. The news of Anan's arrest was announced by two of his senior advisors. One of them, Mustafa al-Shal, was the first to leak the news to the Associated Press but did not provide further details. The other senior advisor, Mohamed Refaat, announced the arrest on Twitter but also did not provide additional details. Anan's campaign released a brief statement on its official Facebook page, announcing that it would suspend its activities indefinitely due to concerns for the safety and protection of all citizens who dream of change. With Anan's exit from the race and the possibility of him facing a military court, the only serious rival left for el-Sisi is Khaled Ali, a lawyer. However, even his candidacy is at risk. Khaled Ali is accused of making an indecent gesture in public last September, and if his conviction is upheld in the final appeal, he will not be allowed to participate in the elections. The appeal court's decision is expected to be announced on March 7. Reuters has reported that even with a high likelihood of el-Sisi's victory, the Egyptian armed forces are unwilling to allow two former senior military officials to criticize each other during the elections. Two other electoral figures who could have been serious rivals to el-Sisi have also been forced to withdraw from the competition. Ahmed Shafiq, the former Prime Minister of Egypt who came in second in the 2012 elections and was expected to garner more support, announced that he no longer considers himself an 'ideal candidate' for leading the Egyptian people after facing heavy criticism and personal attacks from media close to el-Sisi. Another figure, Mohamed Anwar Sadat, a former member of the Egyptian parliament, stated that he withdrew from the elections due to fears of pressure and threats against his supporters from government officials. Mohamed Anwar Sadat is the nephew of former Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981.