Former Defense Minister and army general El-Sisi became president in 2013 as a result of a coup, ousting then-President Mohamed Morsi. He has served two terms and still remains the most likely front-runner despite economic problems and the West's dissatisfaction with the situation with human rights in the country.
El-Sisi will face off against three candidates. Abdel Sanad Yamama of the liberal Wafd Party proposes a set of economic, educational and legal reforms, while the head of the Republican People’s Party, former foreign ministry official and businessman Hazem Omar advocates the most conservative approach and is believed to be a supporter of El-Sisi. The third candidate is Farid Zahran of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, who is also considered close to El-Sisi as he helped to form his cabinet after the coup.