Egypt to hold presidential poll before parliamentary vote

Those urging Gen Sisi to run for president have been much in evidence at recent demonstrations

Egypt's interim government has announced presidential elections have been moved forward.

This means parliamentary polls will happen later, not first as originally envisaged by the military-backed authorities' "roadmap" to democracy.

The move is like to intensify speculation over whether army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will stand.

Many have urged to him to stand after he led the removal of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July.

Mr Morsi, Egypt's first democratically elected president, was deposed by the army last July after mass protests against his rule.

Rallies

Interim President Adly Mansour announced the decision to bring forward the presidential poll in a televised speech, saying the decision had been taken after dialogue with "national forces and representatives of various orientations and trends".

Supporters of the military held rallies on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Thousands gathered in high-profile locations including Tahrir Square - the focal point of the 18-day 2011 popular revolt - many waving Egyptian flags and banners showing army chief Gen Sisi.

Anti-government protests also took place, with 49 people killed in clashes and arrests reported in several cities.

Also on Saturday, an army helicopter crashed in the restive Sinai peninsula, with the official news agency saying that five crew members were killed.

A large car bomb also exploded near a police building in Suez, at the southern entrance of the Suez canal, with reports that nine people were injured.

Amidst continuing violence and instability, many Egyptians believe Gen Sisi is the strong man the country needs, the BBC's Arab affairs analyst Sebastian Usher reports.

But others are concerned that if he stands and wins - which seems the likeliest outcome - it will make him too strong, giving him all but complete control of the now modified roadmap, our correspondent adds.

The Anti-Coup Alliance, led by Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, called in a statement for 18 days of protests beginning on Saturday, mirroring the 18 days of protests that three years ago led to Mr Mubarak stepping down.

The Brotherhood has regularly held protests since the overthrow of Mr Morsi. Hundreds of its supporters have been killed, and thousands detained.

It has been declared a "terrorist organisation" and accused by the interim government of being behind a string of violent attacks in recent months, which the Brotherhood denies.