Egypt sets presidential election date for March 26-28

The presidential election in Egypt will be held on March 26-28, the chairman of the national election commission, Lasheen Ibrahim, said on Monday. A run-off is set for April 24-26 if needed. First round results will be announced on April 2 and, in the event of a run-off, on May 1. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has yet to formally announce his bid for re-election. Earlier, former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq withdrew his candidacy, saying he is not “the ideal person to lead the state” at this point, in a statement posted on Twitter.