CAIRO – Egyptian army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who led the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, held open the possibility he might run for the presidency in an interview published on Thursday, Nov. 21.

Sisi, 59, deposed the Islamist Morsi in July following mass protests against his rule. He has since emerged as a popular figure to many Egyptians and his supporters want him to run for president in an election expected next year.

Asked by the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Seyassah whether he was a candidate for the presidency, Sisi said: “Would that satisfy all the people? Would that satisfy some of the foreign powers, and does this mean working to find solutions for Egypt’s problems? In any case, let’s see what the days bring.”

Though the election is expected in around six months’ time, none of the politicians defeated by Morsi in last year’s election have declared their candidacy this time around, as Sisi keeps the country guessing about his intentions.

It is widely assumed Sisi would win an election, meaning the presidency would once again be controlled by the military establishment that dominated state affairs for decades after the army overthrew the monarchy in 1952.

Sisi holds the position of deputy prime minister in the interim administration installed by the military after Morsi, Egypt’s first civilian head of state, was ousted. Sisi also holds the post of defense minister.

In apparent reference to Western governments, Sisi said: “Some of the states that supported the Brotherhood’s rule and their authoritarian practices today realize that what happened on June 30 was not a military coup but a popular revolution.”

Asked why Morsi had picked him to minister of defense, Sisi said: “It’s God’s will.”