MOSCOW, November 19 (Sputnik) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi was born into a large devout Muslim family in Cairo on November 19, 1954.
In 1977, he graduated from the Egyptian Military Academy. In 1987, he took an additional course at the Egyptian Command and Staff School. In 1992, he graduated from the Joint Services Command and Staff College (United Kingdom). In 2006, he received a master's degree from the United States Army War College in Pennsylvania. He served with Motorized Rifle Troops, rising through the ranks to become the motorized infantry division commander.
Sisi served as chief of the Information Security Service at the General Secretariat of the Egyptian Defense Ministry, military attache in Saudi Arabia and chief of staff of the Northern Military District in Egypt. In 2008, he was appointed commander of the Northern Military District.
In February 2011, he was appointed chief of the Military Intelligence Service.
On August 12, 2012, Gen. Sisi was promoted to chairman of the Supreme Armed Forces Council, commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and Defense and Military Industry Minister.
Sisi became immensely popular in Egypt after the army supported mass protests against the country's Islamist president, Mohamed Morsi, on June 30, 2013.
On July 3, 2013, he was among the organizers of the coup d'etat that toppled Morsi.
On July 16, 2013, Sisi became first deputy prime minister in the government of acting President Adly Mansour.
On January 27, 2014, Sisi was promoted to field marshal.
On March 1, 2014, he joined the new government as vice premier.
In late March 2014, Sisi resigned from his position in government and declared that he would run for president.
On May 26-28, 2014, Egypt held early presidential elections. On June 3, it was officially announced that Sisi had won with 96.3 percent of the vote (23.7 million).
Sisi is married with three sons and a daughter.
