Supporters of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gather with national flags and chant slogans during an election campaign rally outside the Cairo University campus in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on Oct 2, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

CAIRO - Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi submitted on Saturday his nomination papers to the National Election Authority (NEA) as a candidate in the presidential elections that will be held later this year, the NEA said in a statement.

Sisi's campaign submitted more than 1,130,000 endorsement forms from citizens and 424 recommendation forms from members of the House of Representatives supporting Sisi's candidacy for a third presidential term, according to the NEA, far more than the required 25,000 endorsements or 20 recommendations.

Sisi assumed the presidency in 2014, a year after the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military

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Sisi, 69, officially announced on Monday running for president in the vote scheduled for Dec 10 to 12. Former parliamentarian Ahmed el-Tantawy is widely seen as Sisi's main challenger in the presidential race.

Sisi assumed the presidency in 2014, a year after the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi by the Egyptian military. Morsi's removal followed widespread protests against his one-year presidency and his association with the Muslim Brotherhood, later banned and designated in Egypt as a terrorist organization.

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In 2018, Sisi secured a second term, and in 2019, constitutional amendments extended presidential terms from four to six years, and exceptionally allowed Sisi to run for a third term.