CAIRO, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi went through a medical test on Tuesday which is an official procedure ahead of submitting his candidacy papers for the 2018 presidential elections scheduled for March, official MENA news agency reported.
Egypt will hold its 2018 presidential polls in late March. After a 10-day candidate registration period that started on Saturday, the candidates will start their campaigns on Feb. 24. The result of the first round is set to be announced on April 2, according to the country's National Election Authority.
Sisi announced on Friday his intention to run for a second four-year presidential term, a last one for Sisi if he wins according to the Egyptian constitution.
Hours after Sisi's announcement, former military chief of staff Sami Anan declared his intention to join the 2018 presidential race, blaming Egypt's ongoing problems on "wrong policies" and calling on the country's institutions not to take sides in favor of any candidate.
However, the Egyptian army said in an official statement on Tuesday that it will summon Anan to interrogate him over "legal violations" he made by running for president without a prior approval from the armed forces.
"His statement regarding running for president contained clear incitement against the armed forces for the purpose of driving a wedge between the armed forces and the great Egyptian people," said the military statement.
It added that Anan falsified official documents stating he has ended his service at the armed forces, "which is not true."
The statement said it will summon Anan to probe into "the violations and crimes" included in his move towards the presidential bid.
Veteran air forces commander and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, who fled Egypt after narrowly losing to Morsi in the 2012 elections, announced earlier in January his withdrawal from the presidential race after coming back to Egypt from the United Arab Emirates, where he spent the past five years.
Another presidential hopeful, rights and opposition lawyer Khaled Ali, announced last November his intention to join the presidential race.
Ali could be disqualified as he had received a suspended three-month jail term last September over an obscene hand gesture he reportedly made after winning a court order challenging the government.
After Anan's investigation news, Ali's campaign said on Tuesday that they are currently studying giving up the presidential bid.
