Former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Sami Anan has said he will not run for presidential elections, expected to be declared next week.
In a press conference at his electoral campaign headquarters in Dokki on Thursday, Anan vowed to remain loyal to Egypt and its army whatever the circumstances were.
“I spent more than half a century of my life as a soldier in the army. I fought for this land. I was a leader and never ceded my patriotic role. I will always be proud of my affiliation to military,” Anan added.
Prominent journalists Mostafa Bakry and Mahmoud Mesallam accompanied Anan on the platform, while some reporters complaines as places were not available for them.
Power outage delayed the conference. Several campaign members believed the cut was intended to cause the delay and failure of the conference.
On Tuesday, Anan said he survived an assassination attempt in Dokki, which was denied by Interior Ministry saying the inspection of the accident spot did not indicate an assassination attempt had taken place.
Former President Mohamed Morsy sent Anan in 2012 to retirement after winning elections.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
