Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday that he will leave office when his current term expires in 2030, seeking to end speculation that he could pursue another constitutional amendment to extend his rule. He also pledged that Egypt would defend Saudi Arabia’s security and sovereignty if the kingdom requested assistance.
“2030 will mark the end of my presidential term. This matter is completely settled,” Sisi said at a graduation ceremony for the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, according to the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.
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“I said that the Egyptian constitution would not be touched,” he added. “This is an entirely settled matter and will not be discussed.”
The 71-year-old former army general has led Egypt since 2014. He is serving a six-year term after securing re-election in December 2023.
Constitutional amendments approved in a 2019 referendum increased presidential terms from four years to six and allowed Sisi to seek an additional term, making it possible for him to remain in office through 2030.
The changes altered Egypt’s presidential term limits and drew criticism from opponents, who said they would further concentrate authority in the presidency.
Sisi rose to power in 2013, when the military removed Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, after mass protests against his administration. Sisi won the presidency the following year and has since maintained firm control over the country’s political system.
His latest comments appeared intended to put an end to questions over whether he might seek another constitutional change that would allow him to remain in power beyond his current mandate.
The president also emphasized the military’s role in protecting Egypt’s institutions and constitutional order, while highlighting the need to prepare a younger generation for leadership.
He said the constitution assigns the armed forces responsibility for safeguarding democracy, the constitutional framework and the state’s fundamental pillars.
“I will not leave the Egyptian state until it is brimming with its own people capable of shouldering responsibility,” Sisi said, referring to programs at the Egyptian Military Academy aimed at preparing younger generations for leadership.
He did not offer further details on how a transition to new leadership would be organized or what role he might assume after leaving office.
Egypt pledges support for Saudi Arabia
Sisi separately said Egypt was ready to take any steps requested by Saudi Arabia to protect the kingdom’s security and sovereignty, reaffirming Cairo’s stated support for its Gulf allies.
“We will take any measure to protect Saudi Arabia,” he said. Sisi added that he would ask parliament to hold an emergency session to authorize such action if Riyadh made a request.
“We stand firmly to protect and defend the territories of our brothers in the Gulf,” he said.
Sisi did not specify what actions Egypt could take or point to any particular threat that might trigger such a response.
