Egypt's presidential election to be held over three days in December

Egyptians will choose their president for the next six years in an election to be held over three days in December, according to the schedule released by the state electoral authority.

A run-off vote has been scheduled for January, although President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is expected to comfortably win a third consecutive term in the December ballot. His most notable potential challenger is Ahmed Tantawy, a former MP and a harsh critic of the incumbent.

Egypt's presidential terms were extended from four to six years as part of constitutional changes approved in a national referendum in 2019, the year after Mr El Sisi won his second tenure. The amendments maintained a two-term cap but excluded Mr El Sisi's rule from 2014-18 from being counted.

The following is the schedule of the voting process announced by the National Elections Commission on its website:

October 5-14: Presidential hopefuls submit their applications to the elections commission. Each one must be accompanied by the certified support of at least 25,000 voters from 15 of the nation's 27 provinces, with at least 1,000 from each province. Alternatively, they can submit the written support of 20 sitting MPs.

October 16: The commission announces the list of potential candidates.

November 9: The commission announces the final list of candidates, who can then begin campaigning.

November 29-30: A two-day period of silence begins for campaigning abroad before Egyptian expatriates cast their ballots.

December 1-3: Voting period for Egyptians living abroad.

December 8: Campaigning ends in Egypt.

December 10-12: Egyptians vote at home.

December 18: The results are announced.

If no candidate gets more than 50 per cent of valid votes in the first round, a run-off vote is required between the two leading candidates.

December 19: Campaigning begins for a run-off vote.

January 4, 2024: End of campaigning abroad.

January 5-7: Overseas voting.

January 7: End of campaigning in Egypt.

January 8-10: Voting in Egypt.

January 16: Final result.