Egypt bans military personnel from running for presidency & parliament

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has ratified a law banning active and former military personnel from running for the presidency or parliament without the army’s approval.

The legislative changes approved on Wednesday come after Egyptians voted overwhelmingly last year in favor of constitutional amendments that will potentially allow Sisi, a former army chief, to stay on until 2030, AFP said.

The new law is expected to make it almost impossible for military personnel to run in any election. Since it became a modern republic, all but two of Egypt’s presidents have hailed from a military background.