Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ruled out extending his presidency beyond 2030, declaring that his departure from office at the end of his current term is settled and that the country’s constitution will not be amended to prolong his rule.
Sisi, 71, made the announcement on Saturday, October 17, during a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo.
“The period leading up to 2030 will be the end of my term as president of the state, if I am still alive. This is completely settled and there will be no discussion about it,” he said.
The declaration comes amid speculation about whether the Egyptian leader could seek another term through constitutional amendments, following calls from some supporters for him to remain in office beyond 2030.
Sisi also reiterated that the constitution would not be altered to extend his tenure, signalling his stated intention to leave office when his current six-year term expires.
Constitutional changes paved way for 2030 exit date
Sisi became president in 2014 after the military ouster of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, in 2013.
Egypt’s 2014 constitution originally provided for presidential terms of four years, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
However, constitutional amendments approved in a 2019 referendum extended presidential terms from four to six years and introduced transitional provisions allowing Sisi to seek an additional term beyond the two-term limit under the original framework.
Sisi won re-election in December 2023, securing a third term that began in April 2024 and is scheduled to end in 2030.
The constitutional changes prompted debate over presidential term limits and the concentration of executive power.
His latest declaration directly addresses speculation about another amendment to enable him to remain in office beyond the current deadline.
However, Saturday’s remarks represent Sisi’s stated commitment; the political process leading to the next presidential election and any eventual transfer of power remain ahead.
Military academy to prepare future leaders
During the ceremony, Sisi also outlined plans to prepare a new generation of leaders through programmes at the Egyptian Military Academy.
He said the period before 2030 would be used to train people capable of assuming senior public responsibilities, including prospective officials and future presidential candidates.
The proposed initiative would involve a structured leadership programme covering governance, resource management and statecraft. The precise mechanism for selecting future presidential candidates was not fully detailed in the announcements.
The proposal places the military academy at the centre of a leadership-development initiative extending beyond its traditional defence-training role.
It also raises questions about how participants would be selected and how the programme would relate to Egypt’s formal electoral process.
Sisi said the country needed a new generation capable of shouldering responsibility, although further details would be required to establish how the initiative would operate in practice.
Economic pressures and rights concerns
Sisi’s presidency has overseen extensive state-led development projects, including the construction of the New Administrative Capital, which is intended to ease pressure on Cairo and provide new government and administrative facilities.
The projects have attracted criticism over their financing, with critics arguing that heavy borrowing and spending on major infrastructure have contributed to Egypt’s debt burden and economic pressures.
His government has also faced sustained criticism from international human rights organisations over restrictions on political opposition, civil society and freedom of expression. Egyptian authorities have rejected such criticism, arguing that their policies are necessary to preserve national stability and security.
The country’s political environment is therefore likely to remain central to discussions about succession, electoral competition and the extent to which future leaders will operate within a more open political system.
Sisi’s announcement provides a clear statement of his intention to leave office in 2030. Whether the proposed leadership initiative will produce a competitive succession process, however, remains to be seen.
