Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced that he will run for a second term in the country's presidential elections which are scheduled to take place in March.
The widely-anticipated announcement came at the end of a three-day conference that focused on the president's record since he was elected in a 2014 landslide.
The conference saw ministers and members of the public discuss issues including completed infrastructure projects, the military's counter-terrorism efforts, foreign policy and the war on drugs.
"Your participation in the election will be a strong message," before jokingly adding that Egyptians would "become exhausted with me again because Egypt needs every sacrifice," Al Jazeera reported, the Egyptian President as saying, in a speech aired live on TV.
The presidential vote will be held on March 26-28. Candidates must register between January 20-29. Sisi is widely expected to win in the first round, set for March 26-28, according to the reports.
The 63-year-old Sisi, who has spent his first four years in power, came into the limelight in 2013 after leading the army's ouster of his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Mursi amid mass protests.