Egypt's military leaders have endorsed army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sissi for president, hours after he was promoted to the highest rank in the country's armed forces.
Members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces had met for several hours to discuss al-Sissi's possible bid for presidency.
Their decision comes after tens of thousands gathered in central Cairo, on the third anniversary of the 2011 revolt that ousted Hosny Mubarak, to pressure al-Sissi to run for the post.
Egypt's interim president Adly Mansour announced earlier on Monday that he had promoted al-Sissi to the rank of Field Marshall.
Al-Sissi, who announced the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July, earlier this month gave his clearest indication of where he sees his political future.
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"If I nominate myself, this should come after demands from the people and a mandate from the army," he said at a military ceremony in Cairo.
He is expected to sweep the vote, as he is the country most popular leader since Morsi's ouster.
Pro-army groups have launched a series of campaigns in recent months, collecting petitions for al-Sissi to run in this year's expected presidential election.
Egypt will hold presidential elections before parliamentary polls. No specific dates have been announced yet.
