Ammon News - "As I have responded to the people's call before, I heed the call now and announce my intention to run and complete the dream in a new presidential term," Sisi, 68, told a cheering crowd in Egypt's new capital the crowning jewel of a megaproject in the desert east of Cairo.

State-aligned television showed thousands of people celebrating the announcement in ready-built stages across the country.

Earlier on Monday, rallies were held in Cairo calling for Sisi to declare his candidacy.

"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.

Sisi urged Egyptians to head to the polls on December 10-12 "even if not to vote for me".

The president, whose security forces have been accused of harassing and detaining opponents, applauded other candidates and hailed "a real beginning to vibrant political life full of pluralism."

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

This time, as Egyptians grow increasingly frustrated with an unrelenting economic crisis, presidential hopefuls have emerged from the woodwork of an opposition decimated by Sisi's decade-long crackdown on dissent.

A handful of party leaders have said they had already gathered the necessary 20 nominations from parliament.

Another challenger, former parliamentarian Ahmed al-Tantawi, has been trying to rally popular support on the campaign trail.

Without parliamentary backing, the 44-year-old will need to collect 25,000 nominations from Egyptians across at least 15 governorates by October 14 to be eligible.

France 24