Egypt's Sisi sets out plan for military to train his successors

President says he will step down in 2030 but floats new process that would consolidate role of army in state

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said he will step down when his term ends in 2030 and outlined a new process to prepare a successor that would further consolidate the role of the military in the state.

Speaking at a military graduation ceremony on Saturday, Sisi said there would be no constitutional amendment to prolong his time in office. He said his term ending in 2030 "was a matter that has been completely settled and will not be discussed".

Sisi also unveiled a plan under which the Egyptian Military Academy would train presidential candidates for 30 months to "be able to carry the responsibility of leading the Egyptian state".

His comments underscored the centrality of the military to public issues in Egypt beyond defence. Analysts note that its economic footprint and role in civilian life have expanded since he became president in 2014.

HA Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think-tank, said the transition from Sisi's rule would be "controlled and closely scrutinised".

"From the perspective of the military, when they look back at history, they perceive that the least unstable presidencies were held by people who emerged from the system," Hellyer added.

Sisi said the trainees would be PhD holders from reputable Egyptian and foreign universities. Hundreds could be admitted to the training programme, which would be funded by the armed forces, he added.

A committee including the Speaker of parliament, intellectuals, politicians and the ministers of justice and higher education would draft legislation to underpin the training course and candidate selection process under Sisi's proposal.

"They will be taught what a state is, what its institutions are and how to protect it," said Sisi. "This elite will represent an opportunity for the Egyptian people to elect and choose from. Not everyone who can say two neat sentences can lead the Egyptian state."

Graduates of the programme, he said, could also be picked for other roles such as ministers and governors.

New entrants to the judiciary, foreign ministry and state-hired prayer leaders already undergo training at the military academy, which Sisi described in September as "a gateway to employment in state institutions".

The academy's role, he said at the time, was intended to ensure fairness. His spokesperson "emphasised that the aim was not to militarise the state", state media reported, but to counter ongoing "efforts to bring down the state".

A referendum in 2019 had earlier extended presidential terms from four to six years and allowed Sisi a third term.

A former defence minister and military officer, Sisi led a coup with popular support in 2013 to oust Mohamed Morsi, his elected Islamist predecessor.

The move ended a brief, chaotic democratic experiment that was marked by deep polarisation between Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group and its opponents. That had followed a 2011 popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak as president.

Apart from Morsi and an "interim" president who briefly succeeded him, all Egyptian presidents since 1952 have come from the military.