CAIRO: Thousands of Egyptians rallied Monday in Cairo, calling for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to declare his candidacy in upcoming elections, as convoys of buses carrying his image blocked major streets.

Egyptians will head to the polls on December 10-12 for a vote the 68-year-old former army chief is widely expected to win.

While Sisi has not yet announced his intention to run for a third term, crowds gathered in the capital to show their support.

“There is no one better for the future,” said Hassan Afifi, a teacher who escorted a bus full of his students to a rally in western Cairo.

“We all came out to support President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the giant projects he has undertaken.”

A year after deposing Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Sisi won 96 percent of the vote in presidential elections in 2014.

Four years later, he scored a 97-percent victory against one of his own supporters, after more prominent candidates were sidelined or arrested.