President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Saturday, 17 October, at the Military Academy in the New Administrative Capital, that his term ends in 2030. “If I am still alive,” he added, “the matter is completely settled and will not be discussed.” He repeated that the constitution would not be amended to extend his stay.

The speech was given at a graduation, not in parliament. There was no vote, no bill and no decree. It is a political statement. The 2019 amendments, approved by referendum, stretched terms from four years to six and allowed him a third term. Under those rules, 2030 is already the calendar end of the current term, not a new date.

Sisi, 71, a former general, is in his third term after the December 2023 re-election. He said he would not leave the Egyptian state “until it is brimming with people able to take responsibility.” He also rejected the idea that he is preparing a family member for succession. That rejection is not a law either.

The concrete proposal was a programme of up to 30 months, more than 7,500 hours, at the Military Academy. The target: doctorate holders aged 40 to 50 from “reputable” Egyptian or foreign universities. Admission would involve tests. People with at least six years in ministries would be exempt. The armed forces, he said, would cover the cost.

A committee led by the speaker of parliament, with intellectuals, politicians and the ministers of higher education and justice, would write the criteria and a draft law. Sisi spoke of 200, 300, 500 or 1,000 participants, prepared for the presidency, ministries, governorates and parliament. He did not say how graduates would reach a ballot paper.

Reuters and Ahram reported the same lines from the New Capital. The programme puts the Military Academy at the centre of civilian cadre training, in a state where the army has already widened its economic presence. Until the committee writes a law and parliament votes it, this remains an intention announced at a ceremony, not a legal framework.

Image: Abdelrhman 1990, the government district of the New Administrative Capital, Egypt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; archive buildings, not the 17 October 2026 ceremony.

Sources consulted: Egypt's President Says He Will Leave Office in 2030 - The New York Times; El-Sisi confirms presidency ends in 2030, outlines historic proposal to prepare cadres - Ahram Online.