A close ally of former President Hosni Mubarak, Gen. Sami Anan, on Thursday announced his candidacy in Egypt’s upcoming presidential elections. Anan, who served as Egypt’s armed forces chief of staff under Mubarak from 2005 to 2011, was dismissed in August 2012 by then-President Mohammed Morsi. The first round of the elections is scheduled to take place between March 26 and March 28. An anonymous Egyptian source told the New Arab news website that Anan is supported by “Saudi circles,” although the Saudis are also largely supportive of current President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.Sisi's government is reportedly detaining Ahmed Shafik, a retired air force general widely regarded as Sisi’s most viable challenger, at a hotel in Cairo. Also on Thursday, an Egyptian court overturned a prison sentence and ordered a retrial for Mubarak’s former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, who was accused of killing protesters during the 2011 Arab Spring.
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