CAIRO: Egypt is to hold a presidential election on May 26-27, 10 months after the army ousted Islamist leader Mohamed Morsi from the presidency, the electoral commission announced on Sunday.

Retired army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who toppled Morsi, is widely expected to win the vote, riding on a wave of popularity for having removed the divisive president last July. The election would go into a second round on June 16-17 if there was no outright winner, but that outcome seems unlikely given Sisi’s popularity and the absence of serious contenders.

The only other main candidate is leftwing politician Hamdeen Sabbahi, who came third in the 2012 election that Morsi won. The new president will be announced by June 26 at the latest.

The commission said registration of candidates would open on Monday and run until April 20, and campaigning from May 3-23.