Egypt’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi Wednesday called a meeting of the military’s top council to tender his resignation ahead of a likely presidential bid, state media reported.

Sisi’s aides have said the field marshal, who toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July, will contest elections due before the summer.
Sisi gathered his belongings in his defence ministry office before starting the meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the official newspaper Al-Ahram reported on its website.

A senior military officer confirmed to AFP that Sisi would resign on Wednesday.
The wildly popular field marshal, who is also defence minister, must resign from the army before standing in the election, which he is expected to win.